Ammon News - Egypt thwarted a drug smuggling attempt after an exchange of gunfire close to a crossing on the border with Israel, where aid deliveries for Gaza are being inspected, its army spokesperson said on Tuesday.

One person was killed in the incident in the Sinai peninsula and six drug smugglers were arrested south of the Al-Awja border crossing, known in Israel as the Nitzana crossing, the spokesperson added.

An Israeli official also said the suspects were most probably trying to smuggle drugs across the border from Egypt.

The Israeli army's Arabic spokesperson said 20 suspects, including gunmen, approached the border near Nitzana before being fired at by soldiers there. Injuries were reported, he added on social media platform X.

Al-Awja-Nitzana is just over 40 km (25 miles) south of Rafah, the main crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

Israel and Egypt have maintained a blockade on the enclave since 2007, when Palestinian militant group Hamas took control there.


Reuters