The Egyptian army said Israel had ‘immediately expressed its regret over the unintentional incident near the border with Gaza and an investigation is under way.
The Israeli military said on Sunday one of its tanks had “accidentally fired and hit an Egyptian post” near the border with Gaza as the army bombards the Palestinian enclave.
The Egyptian military said the blast had caused “minor injuries” but did not give details.
“The IDF (Israeli military) 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 under way”.
Egyptian media said the Israeli strike would not disrupt the passage of aid to Gaza, citing witnesses, as an aid convoy carrying desperately needed fuel entered the enclave on Sunday.
With fears of a wider conflagration mounting, Iran said the region could spiral “out of control” and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Lebanon’s Hezbollah that an intervention would be “the mistake of its life”.
“If Hezbollah decides to enter the war, it will long for the second Lebanon war,” Netanyahu said on Sunday during a visit to troops on the border with Lebanon. He was referring to Israel’s war with Lebanon in 2006, saying it would be “the mistake of their lives.”
“We will hit it with a severity it cannot imagine, and the meaning for [Hezbollah] and the country of Lebanon will be devastating,” Netanyahu said. However, he said he could not yet say whether Hezbollah had decided to “fully enter the war.”
To the soldiers, Netanyahu said: “I know you have lost friends, and this is a very hard thing, but we are in the fight of our lives, a fight for our homeland.” This, he said, was not an exaggeration. “It is live or die and they must die.”
Israel issues ‘terrorist accomplice’ warning to besieged Gaza residents
Attacks from Lebanon have intensified since the war began. On Sunday, Hezbollah engaged in further fighting with Israel’s army in the border region.
