JERUSALEM, June 3 (Reuters) – Israel’s military said three of its soldiers and a gunman were killed near the border with Egypt on Saturday, and a military spokesman said a group had infiltrated the boundary leading to a fight.
The Israeli military said two soldiers were shot and killed near the border early Saturday. It said the gunman and a third Israeli soldier were killed in a confrontation inside Israeli territory a few hours later.
Egyptian sources said a group of armed men, possibly smugglers, fired at an Israeli security cordon leading to an exchange of fire.
Another Israeli military spokesman said the two soldiers were shot while on duty early Saturday and their bodies were found later.
The Israeli military later detected an incursion into Israeli territory and its forces opened fire, leading to a shootout in which the gunman and a third Israeli soldier were killed, it said.
Egypt in 1979 became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel.
Reporting by Henriette Chacar and Ahmed Mohamed Hassan; Additional reporting by Emily Rose; Editing by Toby Chopra and Angus McDowall
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