Egyptian soldier killed in shoot-out with Israeli forces in Gaza

An Egyptian soldier was killed and several more injured in a shoot-out with Israeli forces at the border with Gaza in an incident that both parties have tried to play down.

The shooting occurred at the Rafah crossing that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) captured earlier in May.

The Egyptian army was conducting an investigation on Monday afternoon, an army spokesman said.

No Israeli casualties were reported.

Israeli media initially reported that the shoot-out started from the Egyptian side which triggered an Israeli response.

The Al Araby news channel, however, insisted that Israeli soldiers opened fire first.

The IDF said on Monday it was looking into the incident and consulting with the Egyptians.

It comes after an Israeli air strike on Sunday night hit a tent camp full of displaced Palestinians in the Tel al-Sultan neighbourhood in western Rafah, killing scores, including women and children.

The shoot-out could further sour the relations between Israel and Egypt as Cairo recently indicated that it is considering downgrading ties with its neighbour over the war in Gaza.

Egyptian officials, however, stopped short of saying that they would be reviewing the peace treaty with Israel, a cornerstone of regional security.

The Rafah crossing was the crucial lifeline for delivering aid into Gaza before it was shut down following the Israeli capture of the area.

The traffic jam on the Egyptian side was recently reported to be stretching for 28 miles.

Israel subsequently said it was ready to allow it to open but Egypt insisted that it would not agree for the crossing to operate unless it was under Palestinian control.

Israeli media reported that Israel was looking for a temporary solution to reopen Rafah including bringing in foreign security companies to run it.