Israel confirms "shooting incident" at Egyptian border

Israeli troops are seen near the border with Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, on May 27, 2024. [Xinhua]

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed a "shooting incident" occurred "on the Egyptian border," after Israeli media reported an exchange of fire erupted between Israeli and Egyptian soldiers at the Rafah crossing on Monday.

"A few hours ago there was a shooting incident on the Egyptian border, the [incident] is under investigation, and dialogue is taking place with the Egyptian side," the IDF said.

Israel's Jerusalem Post reported that an Egyptian soldier was killed in the exchange of fire, while the Israeli Channel 14 said there were no casualties.

Israel's Maariv daily newspaper quoted sources in the IDF as saying that Egyptian soldiers fired first at Israeli soldiers, who returned fire.

However, the Al Araby, a news outlet headquartered in Qatar, cited an Egyptian source as saying that the IDF started the fighting,

Israeli Channel 13 reported earlier on Monday that an "unusual incident" occurred between the Israeli and Egyptian soldiers at the Rafah crossing.