Egyptian army says guard killed in 'shooting' at Rafah border

The Israeli military reported a “shooting incident” on the Egyptian border and said it was discussing the incident with Egypt.

Since May 7, Israeli forces have been operating in Rafah, a town located in the far south of the Gaza Strip, bordering Egypt.

Since the outbreak of war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas on October 7, Egypt has been keen to remain in solidarity with the Palestinians and maintain its ties with Israel.

Egypt was in 1979 the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Egypt, but since then their relations have often been described as “cold peace”.

Cairo fears domestic repercussions from the war, and tensions have risen since Israeli forces took control of the Rafah border crossing, a key entry point for humanitarian aid.

A day after the war began in October, a police officer in Alexandria, Egypt's second city, opened fire on a group of Israeli tourists, killing two Israeli tourists and their Egyptian guide.

In a previous shooting, in June 2023, Israel said an Egyptian police officer crossed the border and killed three Israeli soldiers before being shot himself.

The Egyptian military said at the time that the three Israelis were killed in an exchange of fire by a member of the Egyptian security forces who had crossed the border “in pursuit of drug traffickers.”

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