Deadly clash between Egyptian and Israeli troops in rare incident in Rafah – www.israelhayom.com

A rare incident took place on Monday when Israeli and Egyptian troops exchanged fire on the Sinai border. The Israeli military said its forces came under fire and returned fire, resulting in the death of an Egyptian soldier. Both sides were working together to resolve this issue to avoid any diplomatic repercussions.

An Egyptian source told Qatari television that Israeli forces fired first, provoking the ensuing clash, the details of which are still unclear. An Egyptian soldier was killed, media reported. The violence follows one of the deadliest days of the current outbreak on Sunday, when an Israeli strike on a refugee camp in Rafah reportedly killed at least 45 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. More than 200 people were reportedly injured.

Rafah, a town straddling the Gaza-Egypt border, has become Hamas' main stronghold in the Gaza war. The airstrike, part of Israel's ongoing efforts to target Hamas terrorists, targeted high-ranking terrorists responsible for major attacks against Israelis.

Last night, the @siteIAF carried out a precise intelligence-driven strike targeting high-ranking Hamas terrorists in Tal as Sultan.

Contrary to Hamas's lies and disinformation, the strike did not take place in the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone.

This is the area where the strike… pic.twitter.com/IiyOdnQfx9

– Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 27, 2024

Rafah, known for its complex network of tunnels used by Hamas to smuggle weapons and terrorists, has long been a focal point of Israeli military operations. However, this precision strike resulted in unintended casualties, sparking immediate international condemnation and an escalation of regional tensions.

The Israeli military said Monday it had destroyed an 800-meter tunnel belonging to Hamas in central Gaza, saying the underground passage “passed close to Israeli forces.”

This announcement comes against a backdrop of escalating cross-border hostilities in the north of the country, as well as with Hezbollah supported by Iran. A military spokesman said an anti-tank missile hit “directly a building in Margaliot”, referring to an Israeli community close to the border. In addition, six wanted terrorists were arrested overnight during raids in the West Bank, two of them being affiliated with Hamas, the Islamist group that governs Gaza. Lebanon's Shiite militia said it launched rockets toward a base in the northern Galilee in its fifth strike of the day against Israel.

The United Arab Emirates condemned “Israeli violations in Gaza, the latest being the attack on a camp for displaced people in Rafah.” He called on Israel to immediately implement a ruling by the International Court of Justice requiring it to cease its operations in Rafah governorate.