Mystery rocket kills Egyptian near Israeli border

Daily News Egypt
2 Min Read
Egyptian Bedouins gather at the scene of an explosion in Sinai near the Israeli borders AFP PHOTO/STRINGER
Egyptian Bedouins gather at the scene of an explosion on August 26, 2012 in the Sinai Peninsula near the Israeli border where a man was reported killed while trying to fire a rocket into Israel.  Witnesses said the man was killed in the blast as he tried to fire a rocket while an Israeli military drone hovered in the sky above its side of the border. Security officials confirmed that a man was killed in an explosion near the border with Israel, but could not give a clear account of the circumstances, adding that he might have been killed by a landmine, or accidentally in "militant training exercises." AFP PHOTO/STRINGER
Egyptian Bedouins gather at the scene of an explosion on 26 August in the Sinai Peninsula near the Israeli border where a man was reported killed

Little is known, but much is at stake in the killing of a Bedouin man in the far West Sinai on Sunday night.

A CNN report names the victim as Ibrahim Owida Nasser Madan, quoting his uncle: “Ibrahim was struck by a rocket and killed not too far away from me.”

The CNN report suggests that it could have been a drone strike from the Israeli army, but offered no concrete evidence. The Israeli Defense Force’s news desk told the Daily News Egypt that it does not give out information to foreign news agencies and the Egyptian authorities have not released any statements yet.

AFP released photos of people in the Sinai near shards of a rocket and a large crater in the sand. They also reported that some in the area said the victim was firing a rocket into Israel. Rockets had been fired from Egypt to Israel earlier in the month.

If there were indeed Egyptians firing rockets into Israel, it would further undermine a new Egyptian administration that came to power amid doubts over its ability to control the security situation. At the same time, a drone attack from Israel would escalate the already tense relationship.

Newly appointed Defense Minister General Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi headed to the Sinai on Monday as part of the ongoing Operation Eagle, reported state news outlet Al-Ahram. The operation has aimed to find those responsible for the cross border attack on 5 August. The accused are supposed to be identified in the near future.

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