Terrorist Shot Dead After Entering From Egypt, Killing Three IDF Soldiers

The IDF said two of its soldiers were killed in a security incident that occurred at the southern border with Egypt on Shabbos. The third soldier, a man, was killed in the following shootout between the IDF and the terrorist, who is believed to have been a member of Egypt’s armed forces. He was killed by the IDF.

“This morning, a security incident occurred in the area of the Paran Regional Brigade. Two IDF soldiers, a man and a woman, were killed by live fire adjacent to the border. The incident is under review. The IDF is conducting searches in the area,” the military said in a statement.

The two were just about to start their guard duty on a border outpost and were apparently shot just as they started their shift. Having not responded to calls on the radio, they were later found to have been shot.

Earlier, the IDF said it was exchanging fire near the southern border with Egypt on Shabbos, shortly after it reported two casualties in a security incident in the area. It later confirmed that a terrorist had crossed the border from Sinai and fired on troops, who shot and killed him.

Following the earlier event, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said that “a security incident occurred in the area of the Paran Regional Brigade, in which two people were injured,” but this was later modified to note that two IDF soldiers were killed and then that a third soldier was killed in a shootout.

Army Radio reported that at least one gunman opened fire at Israeli forces close to the area around the Egyptian border where two Israelis were shot earlier on Shabbos while security forces were operating to thwart smuggling activity.

Egypt’s Defense Minister Gen. Mohamed Zaki spoke by phone with his Israeli counterpart to discuss the shooting on the border and “the mutual coordination to take measures to prevent such incidents in the future,” the Egyptian military said in a statement. The Egyptian minister also offered condolences for the dead Israeli troops, it said.

It was the first deadly exchange of fire along the Israel-Egypt border in over a decade.