Israel moves tanks to border with Egypt

An Israeli soldier directs a tank headed towards Sinai [Flash90 photo]

JERUSALEM — Israel reportedly moved tanks close to the border with Egypt on Monday after a cross-border attack in which an Israeli civilian was killed.

The move was in violation of the Camp David accords. The tanks were later withdrawn from the area, Ha’aretz reported.

The terrorists who infiltrated Israel from Egypt killed an Israeli contractor during a border attack.

The terrorists detonated an explosive device Monday morning near two Israeli vehicles carrying contractors who are working on the border fence between Israel and Egypt. Gunfire was also directed at the vehicles, according to the Israel Defence Forces.

Three terrorists had infiltrated into Israel in a place where the border fence is not yet complete. Some terrorists remained on the Egyptian side of the border, the IDF said.

The incident took place near the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip of land along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

Golani Brigade soldiers who arrived at the scene within minutes of the incident opened fire on the terrorists, killing two. One of the terrorists was carrying a large explosive device that went off after he was fired upon, according to the IDF. No terrorists remain inside Israel, Brig.-Gen Yoav Mordechai of the IDF spokespersons unit said.

The attack came a day after two long-range Grad missiles fired from the Sinai Peninsula were discovered in southern Israel.

“We see here a disturbing deterioration in Egyptian control in the Sinai,” Defence Minister Ehud Barak said Monday during a meeting with his Polish counterpart, Tomasz Siemoniak, in Tel Aviv. “We are waiting for the results of the election. Whoever wins, we expect them to take responsibility for all of Egypt’s international commitments, including the peace treaty with Israel and the security arrangements in the Sinai, swiftly putting an end to these attacks.”

IDF troops returned later Monday to the scene of the attack to retrieve the terrorists’ bodies, according to reports. A helmet, a vest, uniforms and Kalashnikov rifles were found near the terrorists.

The Israel-Egypt border project currently employs 1,500 workers, according to Ynet.