The commander of the 80th Division (Red Division), Brigadier General Itzik Cohen, held an inquiry yesterday (Saturday) about the incident in which three IDF soldiers were killed by Egyptian policeman gunfire in the Israeli-Egyptian border area, together with representatives from the Egyptian Ministry of Defense.
The IDF Spokesperson said that "the IDF is working in full and close cooperation with Egypt in order to clarify the circumstances of the incident and draw conclusions." The coordination with representatives of the Egyptian army is led by the head of the TABAL Brigade, Brigadier General Efi Dufferin.
The meeting took place on the Israeli-Egyptian border, photo: Moshe Shai/Archive
An Israeli source said earlier today that "the message coming from Egypt is a return to routine and Egypt's clarification, 'This is not our way.' The most prominent proof of this is the existence and publication of the conversation between Defense Minister Galant and his Egyptian counterpart." The Egyptian side frames the incident as a pursuit of drug dealers on the border, which got complicated, apparently due to considerations of Egyptian public opinion, which is not sympathetic to Israel.
The meeting between the commander of the 80th Division (Red Division) Brigadier General Itzik Cohen and representatives of the Egyptian Ministry of Defense, photo: IDF Spokesperson
Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, concluded this morning that the operational debriefing following the terrorist infiltration incident on the Egyptian border in which two fighters and an IDF fighter were killed will be presented within a week from today by the commander of the Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Eliezer Toledano, and the commander of the 80th Division, Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen.
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In addition, the Chief of Staff ordered the establishment of a systemic investigative team headed by Maj. Gen. Nimrod Aloni, which will examine the operational and systemic concept for defending peaceful borders.
Participated in the preparation of this article: Ariel Kahane and Shahar Kleiman
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