Egyptian soldier killed in incident at Israeli border

An Egyptian soldier was killed in an incident involving Egyptian and Israeli troops in the border area near Rafah.

The Egyptian and Israeli military are investigating the incident.

According to Israeli media, there was an exchange of gunfire, but there are few further details and no reports of Israeli casualties.

Tensions between Egypt and Israel have escalated since Israeli forces took control of the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing three weeks ago as part of their offensive against Hamas.

Egypt is a strong supporter of the Palestinians and condemns the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip and the killing of thousands of civilians by Israel in the course of the war.

Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel 45 years ago. Although it still stands today, relations between the two sides have often been frosty. However, fatal incidents between Egyptian and Israeli troops are rare.

Hours before the shooting, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry condemned an Israeli attack on Rafah that killed at least 45 people, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, accusing Israel of “attacking defenseless civilians.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said two senior Hamas officials were killed in the attack and that it was investigating reports that civilians were injured in the attack and the resulting fire.

Like Israel, Egypt has maintained a blockade of its border with the Gaza Strip since Hamas seized power in 2006. Hamas is an offshoot of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned as a terrorist group in Egypt.

However, Egypt continues to keep channels open with Hamas and acts as a mediator in the occasional indirect talks between Israel and the terrorist militia to achieve a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.