An Egyptian soldier has been killed in a clash between Egyptian and Israeli troops near the Rafah border. Both militaries are currently investigating the incident.
Israeli media reports an exchange of fire but provide few other details, and no Israeli casualties have been reported.
Tensions between Egypt and Israel have escalated since Israeli forces seized control of the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing three weeks ago as part of their offensive against Hamas.
Egypt, a staunch supporter of the Palestinians, has condemned Israel’s military actions in Gaza, including the killing of thousands of civilians.
Despite Egypt being the first Arab nation to sign a peace treaty with Israel 45 years ago, their relationship has remained strained. However, incidents involving fatalities between their troops are rare.
Just hours before the border clash, Egypt’s foreign ministry denounced an Israeli airstrike on Rafah that killed at least 45 people, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. The ministry accused Israel of targeting defenseless civilians.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated the strike killed two senior Hamas officials and mentioned they were investigating reports of civilian casualties resulting from the attack and the fire it caused.
While both Israel and Egypt have maintained blockades on Gaza since Hamas took power in 2006, Egypt has continued communication channels with Hamas and has mediated indirect talks between Israel and Hamas to broker ceasefires and facilitate the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
