Gallant speaks with Egyptian counterpart after deadly shootings, stresses bilateral ties

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks with his Egyptian counterpart Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Zaki, following this morning’s deadly shooting on the border, in which three Israel soldiers were killed by an Egyptian policeman, his office says.

“The cooperation in the investigation of the serious attack is of great importance for the relationship between the countries,” Gallant is quoted as saying.

Gallant’s office says he “expressed his appreciation for the Egyptian defense minister’s commitment to a joint investigation of the details of the serious incident, and emphasized the importance of cooperation in the investigation of the attack to prevent further incidents in the future.”

The Israeli defense minister tells his Egyptian counterpart that “the relationship between Israel and Egypt is very important to both countries, and that both sides must make sure that the difficult incident does not harm the good security relationship between the countries.”

“At the end of the conversation, the two agreed to continue the direct relationship between them, to prevent terrorist incidents in the future and to strengthen the relationship between the countries,” Gallant’s office adds.