The renewed Egyptian aggression against Israel was pointed out today to United States Ambassador Edward B. Lawson by Premier Moshe Sharett, who took advantage of his presence in Tel Aviv, where he accompanied Burmese Premier U Nu on his visit to that city, to talk with the American envoy.
It is understood that Maj Gen. E. L. M. Burns, Chief of Staff of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, will cable UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold a report of yesterday’s three-hour exchange of fire along the Israel-Egyptian border in the Gaza area, in which two Israelis lost their lives and six others were wounded. The communication to Mr. Hammarskjold was said to be awaiting a full report by UN observers in the field.
It is also understood that Israel has protested the incident to Gen. Burns and has told him that “inadequate” action on the part of the UN truce supervision organization has been at fault in the Gaza situation. Israel, it is believed, criticized the policy of the UN chairman of the Mixed Armistice Commission blanking both sides in judging an incident and making no distinction between aggressor and defender.
A Foreign Office spokesman revealed today that when the news of the Egyptian attacks yesterday on Ein Hashlosha and Nirim reached a scheduled meeting of the Israel-Egyptian MAC, the Israel delegation asked for a 24-hour postponement of the session, which had been called to discuss a two-week incident. The spokesman also disclosed that one of the two Israel dead was a civilian, Moshe Shifroni, a settler at Nirim, and that four of the six Israel wounded were settlers. A herd of cattle was destroyed by Egyptian shells at Nirim and the main barn was razed at Ein Hashlosha. The full fury of the Egyptian artillery attack was felt at Nirim.
Meanwhile, UN truce headquarters issued a statement tonight denying the official Egyptian version of yesterday’s battle. According to an observer who witnessed the beginning of the incident, the Egyptians opened fire on a lone Israel jeep, the Israelis replied, the Egyptians began using mortars and the Israelis brought artillery into the engagement. During the three-hour exchange, the UN organization said, the Egyptians shelled three Israel villages. Israel casualties were two dead and seven wounded, while the Egyptians lost one dead and seven wounded, the UN statement said.
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