British Government Deplores the “grave Incident” Near Gaza

The British Government deplores the “grave incident” near Gaza which took place last night, a Foreign Office spokesman said today.

The spokesman said that the incident was particularly deplorable in view of the calmer situation during the past few months. He noted that the British Government was awaiting fuller reports of the affair from its Ambassadors in Cairo and Tel Aviv, reporting that Sir Ralph Stevenson, Ambassador to Egypt, had been asked to call on Egyptian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Fawzi.

Meanwhile, a spokesman of the Israel Embassy here, presenting the Israel version of the hours-long battle in the Gaza area, declared: “This grave incident characterizes the increased tension which has recently been prevailing on the Israel-Egyptian border and which, in turn, is part and parcel of Egypt’s increasing hostility towards Israel in other fields also.”

The Egyptian Cabinet has been called into session to consider with high Army officials the situation, reports received here from Cairo said. They quoted an Egyptian Army spokesman as declaring that it was his belief that “Egypt will retaliate most severely.”

The Cairo reports said that an Israel force of about 80 men, using mortars, automatic weapons, small arms and Molotov cocktails attacked and destroyed an Egyptian command post in the Gaza strip and killed or wounded all the persons in it, including some civilians. The Israelis were further charged with ambushing and destroying a truck rushing reinforcements to the post and killing or wounding all the troops in the vehicle. Also, the Israel force is said to have blown up a well and pump supplying a considerable portion of Gaza’s water supply.