By Enyichukwu Enemanna
At least two Israeli tourists and their Egyptian guide have been shot dead in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, the Israeli foreign ministry has announced.
The incident on Sunday morning happened when a policeman opened fire on a group visiting an ancient Roman site known as Pompey’s Pillar, a private Extra News TV channel reports, though there is no immediate confirmation from Egyptian authorities.
Another Israeli was also wounded in the attack which according to Israeli ministry was carried out by a “local”.
The assailant fired “at random” using his personal weapon, the ministry quoted a security source as saying, adding that he was detained at the scene.
Footage of the aftermath of the attack posted on social media showed at least two people apparently dead on the ground at an archaeological site.
The Israeli foreign ministry said it was working with Egyptian authorities in order to return the Israeli citizens to Israel as soon as possible.
The shooting came barely 24 hours after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel, sending hundreds of gunmen across the frontier from Gaza and launching thousands of rockets.
At least 350 people are reported to have been killed in Israel, while another 313 people in Gaza have been killed in retaliatory Israeli air strikes.
Egypt was the first Arab country to make peace with Israel in 1979, but Israeli policies towards the Palestinians make it unpopular with many Egyptians.
