Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi spoke by phone Tuesday, three days after the attack in which three IDF soldiers were murdered by an Egyptian policeman who crossed the border.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Egyptian president expressed his condolences over the incident, and Netanyahu thanked him for his commitment to an “exhaustive and joint” investigation. It was also reported that the two expressed their commitment to continuing to strengthen peace and security cooperation between the countries.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday afternoon, AJA Egypt reported that the Egyptian President ordered compensation payments to the families of the three soldiers. According to the report, al-Sisi ordered the transfer of $3 million to the families.
According to the statement of the Egyptian Presidency, it was Netanyahu who called al-Sisi Tuesday morning.
The killer’s body was returned to Egypt on Monday, at the request of the Egyptians. Israel agreed to the transfer because it has no need for the body for further investigations nor is there an issue of a prisoner exchange deal.
So much for an “exhaustive and joint” investigation.
The killer, Muhammad Salah, 22, was a resident of the Ein Shams neighborhood in Cairo. According to Egyptian publications, he enlisted in the Egyptian Army in 2022 and served as a border policeman. He had gone AWOL for 18 days and was depressed following the death of a friend that he felt had been ignored by the authorities. Before carrying out the three murders, Salah had requested to be discharged from the Army.
