Contradictory regulations in the Israeli and Egyptian legal systems prevented the final settlement of compensation to the families of the victims of the 1985 Ras Burka massacre.
The last-minute hitch on Wednesday forced some of the intended recipients to leave empty-handed from the payment ceremony at the Israel Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem.
The matter was to be discussed in Cairo by senior Israeli and Egyptian officials.
The Ras Burka incident occurred Oct. 5, 1985, when Suliman Khater, a 25-year-old Egyptian border policeman, killed seven Israelis — including four children — in a random act of violence in the eastern Sinai town.
Egyptian Ambassador Mohammed Basiouny and embassy officials came to the ministry and met with the families, paying out about half of the approximately $700,000 in compensation.
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