Israeli soldiers killed by Egyptian police

Israeli soldiers react to news of killings Photo: Amir Cohen/Reuters

An Egyptian policeman crossed the border and killed three Israelis The Israeli military said that on Saturday morning there was a rare fatal violence at the border.

The first two soldiers were killed while on duty at a guard post near the border in the Negev desert, Israel said. The couple — a man and a woman — began their shift late Friday night. Their bodies were discovered early Saturday morning after they failed to answer radio calls.

This prompted a manhunt in which a third soldier and shooter were killed in a clash on Israeli soil a few hours later. The fourth soldier was slightly wounded and evacuated to the hospital.

One of the victims has been identified as 19-year-old Sgt. Leah Ben Nun, a member of the Bardelash Battalion, one of the Israel Defense Corps' five mixed units. The soldier who died in the later attack was identified as 20-year-old Staff Sergeant Ohad Dahan. The identity of the other soldier was not immediately disclosed.

Details of what happened remain unclear. Egyptian sources said a group of armed men were involved.

One of the victims was identified as Sergeant Leah Ben Nun, 19 years old, fighter of the Bardelash battalion. Photo: TikTok

An Egyptian army spokesman said a member of its security forces pursued a group of drug traffickers across the border before a gunfight ensued.

The motivation for the attack also remains unclear. Criminals sometimes smuggle drugs across the border, and Islamic militants also operate in the area.

The Israeli military said they were investigating the incident in full cooperation with the Egyptian army, and that the soldiers were carrying out searches to rule out new attackers.

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Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. and the two countries have a stable relationship. This is one of the worst border incidents in decades.

Frequent attempts at drug smuggling

Over the past decade, Israel has built a high fence along the border, mainly to keep out migrants and Islamist terrorists who operate in the troubled northern Sinai in Egypt.

However, there are frequent attempts to smuggle drugs across the barrier, and there have been cases of gunfights in the past. Hours before the deadly shooting began on Saturday, Israeli forces reportedly thwarted a smuggling plot by seizing $400,000 worth of contraband. This has led some to speculate that the two incidents may be related.

Terrorist groups have also attacked Israel close to the border. In the deadliest incident in August 2011, six Israeli civilians, an Israeli soldier, a police officer and five Egyptian soldiers were killed in a multi-stage attack.