Egyptian policeman injured by IDF fire
Reserve force spots suspicious person about 20 kilometers north of Eilat, shoots in air. After person refuses to stop, force fires towards him, injuring Egyptian officer. Inquiry shows incident caused by misunderstanding
An initial inquiry revealed that the firing incident was caused by a misunderstanding, and did not point to any fundamental problem in the soldiers' activity.
According to the inquiry, an IDF reserve force returning from an ambush at around 1 am, spotted a suspicious and armed figure in the border area, where several attempts had been made in the past to infiltrate Israel. The force had not received any information on the presence of Egyptian security forces in the area.
The soldiers were also alarmed due to the fact that the man was alone, fearing that he was an infiltrator or terrorist.
The force called on the armed person to stop and identify himself, but he began moving towards them and even cocked his weapon. The soldier fired in the air several times, and after the man failed to stop, they fired at the bottom part of the body, moderately injuring him. He was evacuated to an Egyptian hospital for medical treatment.
Medical officials and senior officers, headed by Edom Division Commander Brigadier General Tamir Yadai, arrived at the area, and the IDF began probing the incident together with Egyptian representatives.
The initial inquiry revealed that the incident was caused by a misunderstanding, as the soldiers had not been informed of the Egyptian policeman's presence at such a sensitive part of the border.
Monday's incident is considered unusual, despite the tensions in the border area due to the IDF and Egyptian forces' efforts to prevent the smuggling of weapons, drugs and infiltrators into Israel and the Gaza Strip.
About two weeks ago, an African immigrant was shot to death while attempting to cross the border to Israel. Egyptian security sources reported that the man had been shot by members of the Egyptian border guard after refusing to stop. Fourteen other immigrants were arrested.
