The military said Sunday that one of its tanks “accidentally fired and hit an Egyptian post” near the border with the Gaza Strip, as the army bombards the Palestinian enclave in response to the Hamas terror group’s devastating onslaught on October 7.
The Egyptian military said the blast had caused “minor injuries” but did not give details.
“The IDF expresses sorrow regarding the incident” near the Kerem Shalom area, an army statement said.
“The incident is being investigated and the details are under review,” the statement added.
The Egyptian army said Israel had “immediately expressed its regret over the unintentional incident and an investigation is underway.”
Egyptian media said the Israeli strike would not disrupt the passage of aid to Gaza, citing witnesses.
Trucks with humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip enter from Egypt in Rafah on October 21, 2023. (AP/Fatima Shbair)
On Saturday, 20 trucks carrying vital supplies crossed into Gaza through its Rafah border post with Egypt, which lies around three kilometers (two miles) from Israel.
Crossings between Gaza and Israel have been shut since the outbreak of war on October 7.
The United Nations has estimated about 100 trucks per day are needed to meet the needs of Gaza.
War broke out after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw some 2,500 terrorists break through the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip by land, air, and sea, killing some 1,400 people and seizing some 212 hostages of all ages under the cover of a deluge of thousands of rockets fired at Israeli towns and cities.
Israel launched an offensive it says is aimed at destroying Hamas’s infrastructure and has vowed to eliminate the entire terror group, which rules the Strip. It says it is targeting all areas where Hamas operates, while seeking to minimize civilian casualties.
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