One dead after Israeli and Egyptian soldiers exchange fire on border near Rafah

ISRAELI and Egyptian troops exchanged fire along their shared border today – resulting in the death of at least one Egyptian soldier.

Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) reported a “shooting incident” along the southern border and said they are investigating.

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Smoke rises from an Israeli strike on Rafah, southern Gaza[/caption]

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Palestinians inspect the destruction after Israeli air strikes in Rafah last night[/caption]

The IDF said: “A few hours ago, a shooting incident occurred on the Egyptian border. 

“The incident is under review and discussions are being held with the Egyptians.”

The shooting happened close to the Rafah border crossing.

Egyptian authorities have also opened an investigation.

It came hours after Israel blitzed a refugee camp in Rafah last night, killing at least 45 Palestinian civilians including small children.

The Hamas-run health ministry claims 60 more people were injured.

Israel claimed to have killed two high-ranking Hamas commanders in the strikes, which sparked an enormous fire in an area where Palestinians were sheltering.

The IDF said it struck a Hamas compound inside Rafah which was being operated by “significant Hamas terrorists”.

It added: “The strike was carried out against legitimate targets under international law, using precise munitions and on the basis of precise intelligence that indicated Hamas’ use of the area.”

Yassin Rabia, head of the Hamas West Bank HQ and senior member of the unit Khaled Najjar were apparently taken out.

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