Israel apologizes for death of Egyptian soldiers

Israel issued a formal apology to the Egyptian government and took responsibility for the shooting that killed five Egyptian policemen during the attacks happened near Eilat in August. The apology was issued as Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu convened the cabinet to approve a prisoner swap for the release of tank gunner Gilad Schalit. Egypt played a key role in mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas over the prisoner exchange. The apology was issued by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who has overseen the talks with Cairo that were led by OC Planning Directorate Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel. Earlier this week, an Israeli delegation traveled to Cairo and presented a draft of the planned apology to the interim military regime for its approval. In mid-August, five Egyptian policemen were killed by gunfire from an Israeli helicopter, which was pursuing militants in Sinai near the Egyptian border. The death of the Egyptian soldiers provoked a wave of mass protests in Egypt in late August. Protesters surrounded the Israeli embassy in Cairo demanding that the Israeli ambassador immediately leave the country and Egypt cut off all diplomatic ties with Israel.