Three Israeli Soldiers, Egyptian Policeman Killed in Border Incident

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Facts

  • In a disputed series of events, three Israeli soldiers and an Egyptian policeman were killed on the border between the two countries on Saturday, with Egypt and the Israeli military giving conflicting accounts of what transpired.1
  • Egypt initially said that the policeman crossed the border while in pursuit of drug smugglers along with other statements indicating that a shootout ensued leading to the four deaths.2
  • The Israeli military claimed that the Egyptian policeman attacked a military post near Mount Harif, in the Negev desert. The bodies of two dead Israeli soldiers were found hours later, triggering a manhunt in which a third soldier was killed during a shootout, with a fourth Israeli also reportedly being injured.3
  • An Israeli army spokesperson also claimed that the shooting began overnight when soldiers reportedly thwarted a drug-smuggling attempt across the border, but this occurred hours before the two Israeli soldiers were shot dead.4
  • Egypt stated on Sunday that it is fully committed to working with Israel to uncover what happened. It was also reported that the policeman's coworkers and family members have been interviewed to determine if he belonged to any political groups or suffered from mental illness.5
  • This incident was the first of its kind between Egypt and Israel in more than a decade, with the two countries signing a peace treaty in the late 1970s and cooperating on a number of issues over the years. Drug smugglers and militant groups are also active in Egypt's Sinai, which borders Israel.6

Sources: 1CNN, 2BBC News, 3Guardian, 4France 24, 5Reuters, and 6New York Times.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by The Times of Israel. This attack is a serious indictment of Israel's security policies on the Egyptian border. Soldiers are expected to keep watch of a vast and empty desert in 12-hour shifts, making it easy for deadly mistakes like this to happen. Egypt is a strong Israeli ally and is working hard to assist Israel in determining what happened, and the onus is now on Israel to reform its border security.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Al Mayadeen English. This attack has humiliated Israel's security apparatus, as it lays bear the fact that the Israelis have neglected their ground forces in favor of intelligence and the air force. Though it's unclear what actually happened, it's clear that Israel is unprepared to deal with attacks on multiple fronts — especially as militant groups continue to work toward a unified front against Israel.