SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Two Israeli tourists and their Egyptian guide were shot dead in the city of Alexandria on Sunday, according to the Israeli foreign ministry.
The shooting took place in the Sawari district, and a policeman suspected of carrying out the attack is currently in custody, as confirmed by two anonymous Egyptian security sources.
This marks the first attack on Israelis in Egypt in decades, with one Egyptian also sustaining injuries. The Egyptian interior ministry has not yet provided any comment on the matter.
The shooting occurred just a day after an assault on Israel by the Islamist group Hamas, which prompted Israel to promise “mighty vengeance” in response.
The ongoing conflict has already claimed the lives of hundreds of Palestinians and Israelis. According to one of the Egyptian sources, the policeman claimed to have lost control and fired indiscriminately at the tourist group after being provoked.
While Egypt was the first Arab nation to normalize relations with Israel, and the two countries maintain close cooperation on security and energy matters, many Egyptians, like others in the Arab world, still sympathize with the Palestinian cause.
In light of the recent outbreak of violence, the head of Egyptian intelligence has been in constant communication with officials from both Israel and Hamas, as confirmed by three security sources on Saturday.
Back in June, an incident near the border between the two countries resulted in the deaths of three Israeli soldiers and one Egyptian security officer after hours of confrontation.
