Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned his Egyptian counterpart in a statement released Saturday night that cooperation between Cairo and Jerusalem is of “great importance” to the ties between the two countries.
Gallant issued the warning during a conversation with Egyptian Defense Minister Mohamed Zaki in which the two men discussed the two security incidents that took place earlier in the day on the Egyptian border, during which three IDF soldiers were killed.
The gunman, an Egyptian police officer, was killed in the second shootout.
“The deadly incident on the Egyptian border on Shabbat is severe and extraordinary and will be fully investigated,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a separate statement.
“I want to commend our forces who sought contact and eliminated the terrorist. Together with the entire people of Israel, I share in the sorrow of the families of Staff Sgt. Ohad Dahan and Sgt. Lia Ben-Nun, and the third soldier whose name has yet to be released, and wish a swift recovery to the wounded. Our hearts are with the families in their profound grief,” Netanyahu added.
Gallant expressed his appreciation to Zaki for his “commitment and cooperation in the investigation of the incident,” Gallant’s office added. “He emphasized the importance of cooperating further in order to prevent such events in the future,” and underscored the “important ties” between Israel and Egypt.
The ministers concluded the discussion by expressing their commitment to maintaining ongoing communication and ensuring the cooperation between the respective establishments to “prevent such events in the future,” Gallant’s office added.
