Global Courant
The Israeli army says two Israeli soldiers were killed in a firefight in southern Israel along the Egyptian border
This is a location map of Israel and the Palestinian Territories. (AP photo)
The associated press
JERUSALEM — A firefight in southern Israel along the Egyptian border on Saturday killed two Israeli soldiers, the army said, in a rare case of deadly violence along the border.
According to the army, an attacker was on Israeli territory when he opened fire on troops. The soldiers returned fire, killing the gunman.
The army said one of the soldiers killed was a woman. It gave no details about the attacker.
Criminals sometimes smuggle drugs across the border, while militant Islamic groups are also active in Egypt’s restive northern Sinai.
Israel and Egypt signed a peace agreement in 1979 and maintain close security ties. Fighting along their shared border is rare.
The gunfight reportedly took place around the Nitzana border crossing between Israel and Egypt. The border crossing is about 40 kilometers (25 mi) southeast of the point where Israel’s border with Egypt and the Gaza Strip meet. It is used to import goods from Egypt destined for Israel or the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Israel built a fence along its porous border a decade ago to stop the entry of African migrants and Islamist militants active in Egypt’s Sinai desert.
