3 Israeli soldiers killed by Egyptian officer who is also shot dead

(JTA) - An Egyptian security officer opened fire on Israeli soldiers on a routine patrol, killing two, and hours later killed a third before being felled in a shootout, the Israeli army said, in what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called a "severe and extraordinary incident."

The Egyptian military said the shootout occurred while the officer, who has now been identified as Mohamed Salah Ibrahim, was pursuing drug smugglers across the border.

Cross-border attacks are rare between Egypt and Israel, which have been at peace for more than 40 years and have diplomatic relations. The countries have agreed to jointly investigate the incident.

The Israeli army said the officer opened fire early on Saturday, killing two soldiers who were patrolling the border. Reports said the shooting took place at Nitzana, a crossing about 25 miles southeast of the Gaza Strip.

Hours later, around noon, the army said, Israeli killed Ibrahim in an exchange of fire in which a third Israeli soldier was killed and another was lightly wounded. The army later named the Israeli fatalities as Sgt. Lia Ben-Nun, 19, and Staff Sgt. Uri Iluz, 20, and Staff Sgt. Ohad Dahan, 20.

Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, said he consulted with his Egyptian counterpart, Mohamed Zaki, and agreed to a joint investigation. "Minister Gallant expressed his appreciation to Minister Zaki for his commitment and cooperation in the investigation of the incident," the Defense Ministry said in a statement. "He emphasized the importance of cooperating further in order to prevent such events in the future."

Ibrahim, 22, was reportedly drafted into the Egyptian military last June and stationed along the Israel-Egypt border as a police officer.

He had complained repeatedly about his military service and recently went absent without leave for 18 days, according to Israeli media reports.

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi on Sunday tapped Maj. Gen. Nimrod Aloni to lead the investigation into the "systemic failures" that led to the deaths of the soldiers. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that the deadly attack would be thoroughly probed.

"The deadly incident on the Egyptian border on Shabbat is severe and extraordinary, and will be fully investigated. I want to commend our forces who sought contact and eliminated the terrorist," said Netanyahu.

"Together with the entire people of Israel, I share in the sorrow of the families of [those killed] ... and wish a swift recovery to the wounded. Our hearts are with the families in their profound grief," he added.

A preliminary investigation found that Ibrahim crossed the border through an emergency gate used by IDF soldiers in coordination with Cairo.

Egypt claimed he had crossed the border to chase drug smugglers in the aftermath of an earlier bust.

However, Army Radio reported on Sunday that the Egyptian policeman had in his possession six magazines for his rifle, a Koran and a knife. The IDF estimates that the presence of the Koran suggests that Ibrahim was motivated by Islamic religious extremism, the report said.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant and Egyptian Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Zaki spoke on Saturday evening and agreed to cooperate in investigating the attack.

A preliminary investigation found that the terrorist crossed the border through an emergency gate used by IDF soldiers in coordination with Cairo.

Opening the Israeli Cabinet meeting on Sunday morning, Netanyahu said the government would examine security procedures along the fence built along the Israel-Egyptian border, which was constructed to thwart the migration of African asylum seekers.

"The incident on the Egyptian border is severe and extraordinary and will be fully investigated," he said. "Israel has conveyed a clear message to the Egyptian government: We expect that the joint investigation will be exhaustive and thorough."

The funeral for Ben-Nun, 19, is scheduled to take place in Rishon Lezion at 4:30 p.m. Iluz, who was 20, will be buried in Safed at 5 p.m. Dahan, 20, will be laid to rest in Ofakim at 5 p.m., the IDF said.

"Egypt has played an important role in the Middle East by proactively brokering calm between Israel and Iran-backed terrorist groups. A level of trust has been established between Israel and the first Arab state to make peace with the Jewish state," said Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

"The coming days will be delicate, but the two sides have the personnel and processes in place to handle this without escalating tensions," he added.