Israeli soldiers shoot Egyptian policeman

The Israeli army says its soldiers mistakenly shot and wounded an Egyptian policeman along the border between the two countries today.

Israeli officials said a routine patrol this morning identified a suspicious, armed figure at the border.

It says that when the Israeli troops challenged the man, he cocked his weapon - prompting the soldiers to open fire.

The army says the soldiers only realised it was an Egyptian policeman after the shooting.

A joint Israeli-Egyptian team is investigating the shooting.

The incident occurred south of the Gaza Strip in a border region that has been largely peaceful since Israel and Egypt signed a peace deal in 1979.