Israel demanded through the International Red Cross today that Egypt return Maj. Nissim Ashkenazi, 30, an Israeli pilot who was captured after his jet fighter-bomber was shot down by Egyptian anti-aircraft fire near the Suez Canal yesterday. Maj. Ashkenazi was flying an attack mission against Egyptian artillery which had been shelling Israeli positions on the canal’s east bank near Al Shatt. An Israeli civilian was killed in the barrage. He was identified as Shimon Zarfatti, 35, a father of four. An Israeli soldier, 22 year-old Moshe Sahrawi, was killed yesterday by an Egyptian sniper near Kantara. Another soldier was wounded by a sniper this morning.
The Israeli demand for the return of Maj. Ashkenazi was handed to an IRC representative to forward to authorities in Cairo. But an Egyptian communique today claimed that the Israeli pilot was seriously injured and was undergoing treatment in a hospital. His fellow pilots who saw him bail out, said they were astonished by the report. They said they saw Maj. Ashkenazi land safely on Egyptian soil after ditching his burning plane and that he was standing on his feet which he could not have done if he were seriously wounded. They said he might have been injured by the Egyptians after they captured him. It was noted here that Israel holds an Egyptian pilot of equal rank who bailed out of his Su-7 bomber over Israel-held Sinai recently. It is possible that he will be exchanged for Maj. Ashkenazi, sources here said.
REPORT COMPARATIVE QUIET IN CANAL AREA
The Suez Canal front was relatively quiet during the night except for sporadic fire from the Egyptian side which continued today. But two Israel Army patrols were attacked in the northern Golan Heights and near Quneitra. They returned the fire and suffered no casualties.
El Arish, the largest township on the Sinai peninsula, was placed under curfew last night following attacks on nearby Nahal Sinai and on the El Arish airstrip with Katyusha rockets. Several hundred local residents were questioned by police.
An Arab saboteur was killed in a clash with an Israeli patrol north of the Damiya bridge last night.
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