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Two Egyptian guards killed on Gaza border: MENA | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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CAIRO (Reuters) – Two Egyptian guards were shot dead at the border with Gaza on Wednesday after armed Palestinians made a hole in the border wall, Egypt’s official Middle East News Agency (MENA) quoted witnesses as saying.

The MENA report quoted a hospital official as saying 18 people, including three members of the Palestinian security forces, had been taken to a hospital in Rafah. An earlier report said more than 10 Egyptian guards had been injured.

“Palestinian security sources said two Egyptian guards were killed after a hole was made in the border wall … Rafah hospital director Abou Yousseff al Naggar said 18 injured were taken to hospital,” the report said.

An Egyptian security source who declined to be named confirmed that two Egyptian guards had been killed, adding that four guards were also seriously injured in what he described as an exchange of gunfire with the Palestinians.

Palestinian gunmen had earlier bulldozed a barricade with the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt. Egyptian police fired into the air to disperse the crowd.

“The Palestinians responded with rocks and gunfire,” an eye witness, who declined to be named, said.

About had 300 Palestinians had tried to come through the border hole, MENA and the Egyptian security source said.

The security source named the two guards as Arafa Ibrahim al-Sayyed and al-Sayyed al-Saadawi, both aged 21.

Egyptian Interior Ministry officials could not immediately be reached for comment.