It also follows revelations that Israeli troops have heightened their cooperation with Egyptian counterparts at the border. According to a government response submitted recently to the Israeli supreme court, at one sector of the frontier, Israeli troops fire flares that illuminate sites where refugees and asylum seekers are crossing.
“Where the Israel Defense Force forces identify a group of infiltrators adjacent to the border, prior to their infiltration into Israeli territory, the forces prepare to prevent the infiltration by means of firing flares into the air in order to draw the attention of the Egyptian forces to the site.”
Israeli troops also use flares to “signal and notify their Egyptian counterparts of the beginning of a procedure of coordinated return of infiltrators,” the court submission said.
“Signaling by flares, at the beginning of the coordinated return procedure ensures the safety of the infiltrators when they are handed over to Egyptian forces, as well as the safety of our forces.”