JERUSALEM (JTA) — Egypt has summoned an Israeli official to protest the shooting of an Egyptian soldier near the border.
The Israeli embassy’s charge d’affaires was summoned by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Sunday, Reuters reported, citing a Foreign Ministry statement. The summons came after an Egyptian team formed to investigate the shooting decided that the mistake came from the Israeli side. Egypt has requested an apology from Israel.
Israeli troops shot an Egyptian solder patrolling at Israel’s border with Egypt near Eilat on Aug. 17. There is no fence identifying the border there.
The area, which is 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 cocked his weapon at the Israeli soldiers and continued to advance despite being asked to stop and identify himself, an IDF spokesman told Ha’aretz.
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