And she says The Times of Israel newspaper The Israeli army uses the small gate – closed only by zippers – to cross the border if necessary, mainly to hunt suspects in drug trafficking incidents in coordination with the Egyptian army.
The newspaper indicates, according to the preliminary investigation, that the Egyptian soldier walked about five kilometers (3 miles) from his guard post on the Egyptian side and climbed a slope to reach the emergency door, which indicates his knowledge of the area and security. barrier, then he cut the straps of the gate with a combat knife, and opened the small entrance. Crossing Israeli territory, walking about 150 meters to the guard post, where the two soldiers, Iluz and Ben Noun, were stationed. The newspaper adds that Ben Noun and Ilouz started a 12-hour shift together at 9 p.m. Friday night at the military outpost on the Egyptian border. At around 2:30 a.m., forces foiled an attempt to smuggle drugs across the border, about three kilometers (1.8 miles) north of the location of the two soldiers, and confiscated contraband worth estimated at 1.5 million shekels ($400,000). By 3 a.m., the smuggling incident was over. At 4:15 a.m., the forces moved to the guardhouse where the two soldiers were, who confirmed that all was well. It is believed that the Egyptian policeman infiltrated the guardhouse and opened fire between 6 and 7 a.m., killing the two soldiers. As the two soldiers failed to respond to radio calls on Saturday morning, shortly before their shift ended at 9 a.m., an officer attended the scene and discovered them both dead near the site. The newspaper indicates, according to the preliminary investigation, that the two soldiers did not fire their weapons, which indicates that they were surprised by the attack, with the possibility that they slept or did not noticed the borders. After the officer discovered the bodies of the two soldiers around 9 a.m., military officials declared a terrorist incident in the area and began search operations. Shortly after 11 a.m., an army drone located the attacker hiding behind a rock formation about 1.5 kilometers (one mile) from the border. The assailant opened fire on a group of soldiers who approached the area – about 200 meters – and managed to kill the third soldier. A few minutes later, another group approached the Egyptian soldier and shot him dead. A non-commissioned officer was slightly injured in the second clash, which took place before noon.
Israel’s Defense Ministry said the Egyptian military is cooperating fully with the investigation, noting that the results of the investigation will be presented within a week.
The newspaper published a photo of the attacker, along with details of his identity and the reasons for his execution.
The Israeli army is investigating why there was no alert after the Egyptian soldier infiltrated Israel and examines the security arrangements around the various small gates of the fence, as well as the reason why Israeli officers were unaware of the killing of two soldiers for at least two hours.
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