Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Gaza, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, on May 25, 2024. (Credit: Thomas Suen/Reuters)
An Egyptian soldier was killed, and several others wounded by Israeli gunfire near the Rafah border crossing, according to Israeli media reports. There were no casualties or injuries among Israeli soldiers, Kan news channel reported.
Israeli news outlet Haaretz reported that the Israeli army had yet to determine which of the sides initiated the exchange of gunfire, but based on soldiers' testimonies, the assessment is that an Egyptian soldier fired first toward Israeli forces. An army spokesperson said "the incident is being investigated alongside a dialogue with the Egyptian side."
Middle East Eye reports that unnamed sources told Daily News Egypt that Egyptian soldiers were "affected" by the Rafah massacre on Sunday evening, in which the Israeli army struck a displacement camp several times with 2,000-pound bombs, killing of 45 Palestinians and leaving many more in critical condition.
Egypt and Israel fought four wars against each other before signing a peace agreement in 1979 — which Egypt said was threatened by Israel's seizing of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt earlier this month.
