Israeli Soldiers Exchange Fire along the Border with Egypt as Regional Tensions Rise

A satellite image shows humanitarian-associated trucks queueing to enter the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, November 7, 2023. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS
A satellite image shows humanitarian-associated trucks queueing to enter the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, November 7, 2023. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS
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Israeli Soldiers Exchange Fire along the Border with Egypt as Regional Tensions Rise

A satellite image shows humanitarian-associated trucks queueing to enter the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, November 7, 2023. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS
A satellite image shows humanitarian-associated trucks queueing to enter the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, November 7, 2023. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS

Israel said one of its troops was “slightly injured” in an exchange of fire along the country’s border with Egypt, which Cairo attributed to drug smuggling.
One person in Egypt was killed, The Associated Press said.
Ties between the two countries have been strained since the Israel-Hamas war began.
Israel’s defense minister said Monday that the intense Israeli military offensive in the southern Gaza Strip will soon be scaled back, but he is ruling out a cease-fire. More than 100 days into Israel's war against Hamas, Palestinian authorities said the death toll in the enclave passed 24,000.
The Oct. 7 Hamas attack from Gaza into southern Israel that triggered the war killed around 1,200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage by the group.



Trump Says Gaza Ceasefire Possible this Week or Next

US President Donald Trump listens to opening remarks, on the day he hosts a lunch for African representatives of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, July 9, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
US President Donald Trump listens to opening remarks, on the day he hosts a lunch for African representatives of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, July 9, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
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Trump Says Gaza Ceasefire Possible this Week or Next

US President Donald Trump listens to opening remarks, on the day he hosts a lunch for African representatives of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, July 9, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
US President Donald Trump listens to opening remarks, on the day he hosts a lunch for African representatives of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, July 9, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

US President Donald Trump said there is a "very good chance" of a ceasefire in Gaza this week or next, after meeting Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday for the second time in two days to discuss the situation.

"We have a chance this week or next week," Trump told reporters.

Israel's military chief said on Wednesday "conditions have been created" for the advancement of a hostage release deal in Gaza, as indirect negotiations were under way between Israel and Hamas.

"We have achieved many significant results, we have caused great damage to the governance and military capabilities of Hamas," armed forces chief Eyal Zamir said in a televised speech.

"Thanks to the operational power that we have demonstrated, the conditions have been created to advance a deal to release the hostages."

Netanyahu said on Wednesday that his meeting with Trump focused on freeing the hostages held in Gaza, and stressed his determination to "eliminate" the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas.