Egyptian tank shell slams into building in southern Israel

A building in the Eshkol region of southern Israel was hit by what appeared to be a tank shell that was apparently fired accidentally into Israel from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula on Tuesday, a regional spokesperson said.

There were no injuries reported, but the shell caused significant damage to the building.

The military said it was looking into the matter. A police sapper was called to the scene to remove the munition, which appeared to be a tank shell, Eshkol regional spokesperson said.

“Security forces are at the scene and the event is being investigated,” the spokesperson said.

A picture of the munition indicated it was unexploded.

The Eshkol region lies along the border with Egypt.

Egypt has battled an insurgency led by an Islamic State affiliate for years in the Sinai Peninsula and in recent days has conducted major operations in the territory.

The fighting in Sinai has occasionally spilled over into Israel. Terrorists have also intentionally fired rockets into Israel on a number of occasions.

In September a tank shell fired from the Sinai Peninsula exploded in the Israeli community of Bnei Netzarim in what appeared to be spillover from internal fighting between Egyptian forces and terrorists.

There were no casualties, though light damage was caused to the community’s synagogue. A parked car’s rear window was smashed.

In December 2018 a house in southern Israel was hit, apparently accidentally, by bullets that were fired from Egypt.