Israel buries three soldiers killed near Egypt border

OCCUPIED-AL-QUDS: Israel on Sunday buried three soldiers killed in a firefight at its usually secure border with Egypt and announced an “exhaustive and thorough” investigation into the deaths. Egypt has blamed the fatal clash in the Negev desert on a member of its security forces who was also killed, saying he had crossed the border in pursuit of drug traffickers when he encountered the Israeli troops. The Israeli army said an Egyptian “assailant” shot dead two soldiers at a post on the border. The discovery of their bodies triggered a manhunt during which the third soldier was killed as well as the suspected attacker. Israel´s border area with Egypt has not often been marred by violence since Egypt became the first Arab country to make peace with Israel following the Camp David accords of 1978.