In a shocking incident caught on camera, two Israeli tourists along with their Egyptian guide were shot dead by a policeman in Alexandria, Egypt, on Sunday, as per a report in the BBC. The Israel Foreign Ministry reported that a "local" was responsible for another incident on Sunday morning, which left a third Israeli injured.
A police officer reportedly opened fire on a group of people touring Pompey's Pillar, an old Roman landmark, according to the state-affiliated private television Extra News TV. Citing a source, they said that the attacker shot "at random" with his own weapon and was detained on the spot.
In the video being circulated online, a man can be seen lying in a pool of blood while the other two can be seen dead on the ground at a little distance from each other at the archaeological site.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed the deaths in a statement and said, "This morning during a visit of Israeli tourists in Alexandria, Egypt, a local opened fire at them, murdering two Israeli citizens and their Egyptian guide. In addition, there is a wounded Israeli in moderate condition."
According to a report in AFP, Israel's National Security Council later advised its citizens against travelling to another country “particularly in the Middle East ‘on the backdrop of the attack in Egypt''”. They added that visitors in Egypt should leave "as soon as possible."
This comes after Israel declared a state of war on Saturday as thousands of rockets launched by the terrorist organisation Hamas struck the country. The escalation of violence comes after months of rising bloodshed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with the number of casualties in the occupied West Bank reaching levels not seen in years.
Egypt has historically acted as an intermediary for Israel and the Palestinians, having been the first Arab country to reach a peace agreement with Israel in 1979. Israeli tourists frequently travel to Egypt. However, despite the diplomatic ties, Israel remains largely unpopular among Egyptians.
According to the Egyptian army, an Egyptian security force member crossed the border "in pursuit of drug traffickers," killing three Israeli troops in a gunfight at the Egyptian-Israeli border in June.
