Both governments say the exchange of fire near the Egypt-Gaza crossing is under investigation.
“Relevant authorities” are investigating the death of a member of an Egyptian security team in a shootout near the Rafah border area, the Egyptian army spokesperson said.
Earlier on Monday, the Israeli military said it was also investigating reports of an exchange of fire between Israeli and Egyptian soldiers near the crossing between Egypt and the besieged Gaza Strip.
“The competent authorities of the Egyptian armed forces are investigating a shooting near the Rafah border strip, which resulted in the death of one of the personnel providing security to the area,” Egyptian Colonel Ghareeb Abdel Hafez Ghareeb said on X, formerly Twitter.
Israel took control of the vital Rafah border crossing on the Palestinian side of the border this month by launching a long-threatened military offensive in the crowded area, drawing sharp criticism from the international community, including Egypt.
Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979 and have cooperated on security issues since then, particularly around the Egypt-Gaza border.
Rami Dajani, director of the Israel and Palestine Project at the International Crisis Group, said the general situation in Rafah and Israeli operations there are already causing “tensions at all levels.”
“National Security” Concerns
Dajani added: “The Egyptians are very concerned about these developments right on their border. …The security implications are extremely important for Egyptian national security.”
In early May, Israel launched its widely criticized attack on Rafah, a narrow area in southern Gaza where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had sought refuge from Israeli attacks across the enclave.
At its most populous, Rafah was home to around 1.5 million people, most of whom are now on the move, trying to escape Israeli tanks and air raids.
On Sunday evening, Israeli forces bombed a camp for displaced people in a designated safe zone in Rafah, killing 45 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
The attack sparked a new international outcry, leading to renewed calls for a ceasefire.
Israeli forces also continued to bomb shelters housing displaced Palestinians in other areas, including Jabalia, Nuseirat and Gaza City, killing at least 160 more people, according to Palestinian officials.