JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli troops shot an Egyptian soldier patrolling the border after mistaking him for a terrorist.
The Egyptian soldier, 21, was seriously injured in the incident early Monday morning on Israel’s border with Egypt near Eilat. There is no fence identifying the border there.
In an area popular for terrorists attempting to infiltrate Israel, according to reports, the Israeli soldiers were surprised to find an armed man because they had not been informed of any Egyptian troop presence there. The Egyptian also reportedly cocked his weapon at the Israeli soldiers and continued to advance despite being asked to stop and identify himself.
A joint Israeli-Egyptian team will investigate the incident, an Israei army spokeswoman told the French news agency AFP.
Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979.
