Three Eilat terrorists were Egyptian, newspaper claims

Three of the terrorists in last week’s coordinated attacks near Eilat were Egyptian members of an extremist Islamic group, an Egyptian newspaper reported.

The Egyptian daily newspaper Al-Masry Al Yaoum reported that one of the terrorists had escaped from an Egyptian prison during the recent spring revolution that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak. The identities of the terrorists were discovered during an investigation into the incident by the Egyptian security forces, according to the newspaper. The three terrorists were killed in firefights with Israeli troops.

The Egyptian investigation also reportedly found that Israeli troops entered the Sinai Peninsula in pursuit of the terrorists, and that the troops exchanged fire with Egyptian forces. Five Egyptian policemen and soldiers were killed in the fighting.

Meanwhile, protesters demonstrating in front of the Israeli Embassy in Cairo are calling for a million-man protest demanding the expulsion of Israel’s ambassador to Israel, Al Masry Al Yaoum reported. Protesters also marched in front of the home of the Israeli ambassador.

The newspaper also reported that Egyptian Ambassador to Israel Yasser Reda declined an iftar dinner invitation by Israeli President Shimon Peres and sent his deputy instead, a move perceived as a sign of disapproval.