Egyptian soldier killed by Israeli troops near Rafah

With tensions at an all-time high between Egypt and Israel, since Israel took control over the Rafah crossing three weeks ago, the powder keg of relations may finally explode after the death of an Egyptian soldier at the hands of the IDF.

Egypt has officially launched an investigation into the death of an Egyptian soldier who was killed on 27th May, in an exchange of gunfire with Israeli forces, AFP reported.

While Israel’s military claimed that “the incident is under review and discussions are being held with the Egyptians.”, a high-leveled source revealed to Egypt’s state news agency that Egypt would take any and all necessary measures to prevent another incident like this.

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The BBC reported that hours before the shooting, Egypt condemned Israel’s strike on Rafah, which killed at least 45 people.

Egypt is a supporter of Palestine and has voiced its disapproval of Israel’s offensive in Gaza as well as the murders of thousands of civilians. However, the nation cracked down on those who were involved with a Palestinian solidarity committee.

The soldier was stationed at a watchtower and had reacted to Israeli forces crossing a boundary line in an armoured vehicle, while the soldiers pursued and killed multiple Palestinians.

As the Egyptian soldier shot toward the forces, wounding several of them, the Israelis fired back and killed him.

Incidents between Israel and Egypt have been rare since their joint blockade of Gaza against Hamas in 2007 and following the terms of their 1979 peace treaty – although Egypt threatened to suspend the treaty if Israel went ahead with their planned Rafah invasion

However, this is not the first instance of a security breach between the two nations. In October 2023, just two weeks after the beginning of the war, an Israeli tank accidentally hit an Egyptian position near the Gaza border where several Egyptian borer guards sustained minor injuries.

AFP/BBC