Guard behind Egypt-Israel border shooting laid to rest in 'low-profile burial'

An Egyptian border guard behind Saturday’s deadly shooting of three Israeli soldiers was laid to rest on Monday in a low-profile burial, as authorities interrogate his relatives.

The body of 23-year-old Mohamed Salah was sent back to Egypt by Israel early on Monday as part of a binding agreement between the two states. His body was held by Israel after he was shot dead crossing the Israeli border.

Preliminary reports into an ongoing investigation suggest Salah cut through the border fence and reached 1km inside Israeli territory, carrying ammunition and knives for a "planned attack", Israel claims.

Salah was given a low-profile burial in his home village of Al-Amar Al-Kubra in Egypt’s Al-Qalyubia governorate, attended only by his brother and uncle who had previously been questioned by Egyptian authorities.

The short notice of the burial was reportedly the reason why more family members, including his mother, did not attend.

A small reception will be held on Tuesday in Ain Shams, east of Cairo, where his family lives, with the number of attendees limited by security forces.

Egyptian media reported that an investigation into Salah’s family and friends has been opened to uncover any possible political or religious motive behind the incident, and his laptop and other devices have been seized by authorities.

"The Prime Minister thanked the Egyptian president, as well as for his commitment to a thorough and joint investigation into the incident," a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said after a phone call with Egypt's President Abdelfattah al-Sisi.

Though usually quiet, Israeli-Egyptian frontier has witnessed ambushes and rocket attacks in the past decade, with military personnel and militants killed on both sides.

Egypt has shared diplomatic ties with Israel since signing a peace treaty in 1979, but much of the country’s population has continued to take an anti-Israel stance due to the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Social media users have continued to celebrate the Saturday shooting, praising the "martyr and "hero" Mohamed Salah for his "brave act" in killing three of the "Zionist enemy's" soldiers.