Israel reported several shooting incidents along the cease-fire lines on both the Egyptian and Syrian fronts today. An exchange of fire developed when Egyptian soldiers tried to capture a house near Ismailia that had not been in their hands when the cease-fire took effect, an Israeli spokesman said He claimed that Egyptian forces also opened fire on an Israeli army patrol west of Fayed where the Egyptians reportedly were trying to improve their positions. Egyptian snipers fired on Israeli forces north of the town of Suez and the fire was returned, the spokesman said.
He reported that the Syrians attempted to advance their positions in the Mazrat Bet Jan region but withdrew after Israeli forces opened fire The Syrians also fired a few artillery shells but Israeli soldiers did not return the fire.
Meanwhile, a search for bodies of missing soldiers on both sides was scheduled to begin today on the Egyptian front. The area of the search is the sectors between Israeli lines and the Egyptian Second and Third Armies. It will be conducted by mixed teams consisting of Israeli army chaplains, Moslem priests and Red Cross representatives. They will be accompanied by communications officers and sappers who will search for mines in the no-man’s-land.
Unofficial sources had put the missing in the Yom Kippur War at 400, but that was before Egypt announced that it held only 247 Israeli POWs instead of the estimated 300-350. Syria so far has refused to provide a list of POWs.
The Cabinet met for close to five hours today to discuss the impasse at kilometer 101, but a total veil of secrecy was thrown over its deliberations. The session was classed as a meeting of the Ministerial Security Committee rendering it top secret by law. An official communique said merely that Gen. Aharon Yariv had reported on his talks with Lt. Gen. Mohammed Gemassi and the ministers had debated his report.
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