IDF Soldier Injured by Errant Shooting From Sinai

An IDF soldier serving on the Sinai border was injured by shots fired from the Egyptian side of the security fence early Monday, the IDF said in a statement. The soldier was lightly injured and was treated on site before being taken to Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva for further treatment. The IDF did not return fire. Army officials said they believed the shots were fired toward the border accidentally, as the Egyptian army continues to pursue terrorist groups that have located in Sinai.

Earlier this month, the Defense Ministry said that Rami Namer Abu Amar, who was killed in a shooting incident last October at the Sinai border, would be recognized as a victim of a terror attack. Abu Amar, a 15-year-old resident of the Bedouin town of Rahat, was part of a crew working to build the Sinai border fence. He was riding in a vehicle that apparently accidentally had crossed the border, and was shot at by an unidentified assailant. He later died of his wounds. It was not clear if the shooter was from Egyptian security forces or one of the terror groups that are concentrated throughout the region.

Sky News quoted an Egyptian security official as saying that the shots had been fired by a border defense officer, who thought that he was shooting at border smugglers.

Overnight Sunday, security officials said they arrested 21 wanted security suspects in other areas in Yehudah and Shomron. The suspects were wanted for participating in rioting and throwing stones and firebombs that endangered Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers. Several of the suspects were also charged with belonging to Hamas. All were being questioned on their activities by security forces.