Mohamed Salah, a 24-year-old Egyptian soldier, has been hailed as a hero in Egypt after killing three Israeli soldiers in an attack in the border region of northern Sinai. The incident has fueled tensions between the two nations and stirred intensified anti-Israel sentiments among Egyptians.
On Sunday evening, Salah opened fire with his automatic rifle on an Israeli patrol vehicle near the border area of Har Harba. The attack killed three Israeli soldiers seated inside the vehicle. Salah was able to escape the scene unharmed but reportedly surrendered himself to Egyptian authorities within a few hours.
In a video circulating on social media, Salah stated that he carried out the attack in retaliation for Israeli treatment of Palestinians and warned that attacks would continue as long as Israel occupies Palestinian lands. The video has gone viral in Egypt and is amplifying Salah's status as a hero to many Egyptians. However, the Egyptian government formally condemned the attack and said it does not support any breaches of the peace treaty with Israel.
The attack is a blow to security cooperation between Egypt and Israel, who have maintained a frosty peace since signing a treaty in 1979. Israel has demanded swift and strong action from Egypt against Salah and any terrorist groups linked to him. Egypt blamed Islamist militants from the Sinai for the attack. However, if Salah acted alone, it shows the lingering anti-Israel sentiments that exist broadly among rank-and-file Egyptian soldiers and citizens.
Ties between Israel and Egypt have generally been close, especially on security and intelligence-sharing in the peninsula. However, many Egyptians support the Palestinian cause and oppose normalization of ties with Israel. Successive Egyptian governments have had to balance strategic ties with Israel that bring key security and economic benefits with widespread popular antagonism toward Israel at home. The killing of the Israeli soldiers highlights how that antagonism can at times boil over, placing strains on Egyptian-Israeli relations.