Egypt assured Israel today that the results of its investigation into the fatal shooting of seven Israeli tourists, four of them children, at Ras Burka in Sinai in September will be forthcoming within the next few days.
The Egyptian Charge d’Affaires in Tel Aviv, Mohammad Basyouni, told officials that the killer would be placed on trial. He was described by the Egyptians at the time as a policeman who went berserk. Many Israelis contend he was a soldier. The Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty of 1979 forbids Egypt to station soldiers in the part of Sinai where the shooting occurred.
Israeli officials promised the families of the victims that the government would make every effort to help them and will continue to demand from Egypt a detailed and comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of the tragedy.
Autopsies by Israeli doctors indicated that five of the seven victims might have lived had their wounds been treated on the spot. According to Israeli eyewitnesses, the wounded were left unattended for four hours. Although Egypt promised a speedy investigation it has not been completed more than a month later. Three Israelis who were at Ras Burka at the time testified before the Egyptian inquiry commission two weeks ago.
Representatives of the victims’ families were invited today to a meeting of the ministerial directors general committee which was established to follow developments in the case. They will be updated at another meeting next week.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
