Egypt says Israel regret over cross-border attack falls short

Egypt's cabinet on Sunday welcomed a joint probe into the deaths of five Egyptian policemen in a cross-border incident – but said an Israel statement expressing regret for the killings fell short.

Thousands of Egyptians protested outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo for a second day on Saturday, after Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israel regretted the deaths, adding that he had instructed the army to launch a joint investigation with Egypt.

Egypt recalled its ambassador from Israel, insisting the killing of its security personnel breached its 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

The Egyptians were killed on Thursday on the Israeli-Egyptian border, as Israeli troops pursued militants who had killed eight people after firing shots into Israel.

On Sunday, Egypt's official MENA news agency quoted a cabinet statement as saying:

The Israeli statement was positive on the surface, but it was not in keeping with the magnitude of the incident and the state of Egyptian anger toward Israeli actions.

Egypt affirms its solicitude for maintaining peace with Israel, but Israel must also assume responsibility for protecting this peace.

Media reports say Egyptian outrage over the deaths has signaled a major shift in Egypt-Israeli relations.

During Saturday's rallies, the BBC said one demonstrator climbed the building, took down the Israeli flag and replaced it with an Egyptian flag.

The diplomatic crisis comes amid renewed hostilities between Israel and Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian militants have fired more than 20 rockets into Israel since Saturday night. In retaliation, Israel carried out a series of air strikes on Gaza, killing at least 15 people.

The Cairo-based Arab League is to hold a meeting on Sunday to discuss the crisis.