JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli troops shot and killed a gunman Saturday in a shootout in southern Israel along the Egyptian border, the military said.
He said the attacker was in Israeli territory when he opened fire on soldiers. The soldiers returned fire, killing the shooter. In an earlier statement, the military said two people were injured.
Israel and Egypt signed a peace accord in 1979 and maintain close security ties. Fighting along their common border is rare.
The exchange of fire reportedly took place around the Nitzana border crossing between Israel and Egypt. The crossing point is located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of the point where Israel’s border converges with Egypt and the Gaza Strip. It is used to import goods from Egypt destined for Israel or the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Israel built a fence along the porous border a decade ago to prevent the entry of African migrants and active Islamic militants into Egypt’s Sinai desert.