An unusual incident occurred this night (Thursday) on the Egypt border, in the Nitzana area.
An Israeli-Bedouin citizen was killed by gunfire from an IDF soldier and an armed civilian after being identified by them as a suspect in smuggling activities in a closed military area.
According to the IDF spokesperson, after completing a planned operation and while traveling outside of the operation zone, the IDF soldier and the armed civilian identified several masked suspects who were suspected of being involved in smuggling activities near the border fence.
The preliminary investigation into the incident shows that the civilian opened fire at the suspects' vehicle tires, using both his personal weapon and the soldier's weapon.
The gunfire caused the vehicle to swerve off the road, injuring one of the suspects, who was evacuated to the hospital, where he later died.
The IDF clarified that "the actions of the civilian under the mentioned circumstances are being investigated by a joint investigative team of the Military Police and the Israel Police."
Another person was found in the suspect's vehicle and was arrested. The court extended the detention for four more days for investigative purposes. The detainee denies any involvement in the smuggling activities.
In his ruling, Judge Amichai Habibian wrote, "Reviewing the case file, the suspicion of the respondent's involvement in smuggling offenses is low, but the fact that the respondent was in a designated closed military area and the fact that he and another suspect fled from IDF soldiers raises suspicion of involvement in smuggling offenses as well as endangering human life on the transportation route."