New Delhi: Amid the ongoing clash between Israel and the Gaza Strip, an Egyptian policeman on Sunday opened fire on Israeli tourists at Pompey's Pillar Site in Alexandria, killing at least two Israelis and one Egyptian, news agency Associated Press reported citing Egypt’s Interior Ministry.
Extra News television channel, which has close ties to Egyptian security agencies, quoted an unidentified security official as saying that another person was wounded in the attack, reported AP.
According to Extra News, the suspected assailant was detained and the site of the attack was cordoned off by security forces. Israel's Zaka rescue service reported two people killed in Alexandria.
A video of the incident circulating on social media showed at least three ambulances taking the victims to hospitals.
The attack came as Israel was battling Hamas fighters, who killed up to 250 Israelis after crossing into Israeli territory. At least 313 Palestinians have been killed in a barrage of Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli siege for the past 16 years.
Egypt made peace with Israel decades ago and has served as a mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, anti-Israeli sentiment runs high in the country, especially during bouts of violence.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned Saturday of a "vicious cycle" of violence after Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel, which responded with devastating air strikes on Gaza.
Sisi's spokesman said he "warned against the danger of the situation deteriorating and sliding into more violence, the worsening of humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the region entering into a vicious cycle of tensions that threatens regional stability and security".
The foreign ministry had earlier appealed to "both the Palestinian and Israeli sides to exercise the highest degrees of restraint".