A rare incident took place on Monday when Israeli and Egyptian troops exchanged fire on the Sinai border. The IDF said that its forces were fired upon and shot back, resulting in the death of an Egyptian servicemember. The two sides were working jointly to resolve this matter to prevent any diplomatic reprecussions.
An Egyptian source told Qatari television that Israeli forces fired first, resulting in the ensuing clash, whose details are still unclear. One Egyptian soldier has been killed, the media reported. The violence follows one of the deadliest days of the current flare-up on Sunday, when an Israeli strike on a refugee camp in Rafah reportedly killed at least 45 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. Over 200 were reported injured.
Rafah, a city straddling the border of Gaza and Egypt, has become Hamas' main stronghold in the Gaza war. The airstrike, part of Israel's ongoing efforts to target Hamas terrorists was aimed at senior terrorists who were responsible for major attacks against Israelis.
Last night, the @IAFsite carried out an intelligence-based precise strike that targeted senior Hamas terrorists in Tal as Sultan.
Contrary to Hamas' lies and misinformation, the strike did not take place in the Al-Mawasi Humanitarian Area.
This is the area where the strike… pic.twitter.com/IiyOdnQfx9
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 27, 2024
Rafah, known for its complex network of tunnels used by Hamas to smuggle weapons and terrorists, has long been a focal point of Israeli military operations. However, the precision strike led to unintended casualties, drawing immediate international condemnation and escalating regional tensions.
The Israeli military said Monday it had destroyed an 800-meter (800 yard) tunnel belonging to Hamas in central Gaza, stating the underground pathway "passed in proximity to Israeli forces."
The announcement came amid escalating cross-border hostilities in the north as well with Iran-backed Hezbollah. A military spokesperson said an anti-tank missile scored a "direct hit on a building in Margaliot," referring to an Israeli community near the border. Separately, six wanted terrorists were arrested overnight in raids across the West Bank, two of them affiliated with Hamas, the Islamist group that governs Gaza. The Lebanese Shi'ite militia, said it launched rockets toward a base in northern Galilee in its fifth strike of the day against Israel.
The United Arab Emirates condemned "Israeli violations in Gaza, the latest being the attack on a displaced persons' camp in Rafah." It called on Israel to immediately implement an International Court of Justice ruling demanding it cease operations in the Rafah governorate.
