Active case
2011 southern Israel cross-border attacks
On August 18, 2011, a coordinated series of attacks was carried out on Highway 12 in southern Israel near the Egyptian border, reportedly by around twelve militants operating in four groups. The attacks came despite prior warnings from Israel's Shin Bet security service about a planned attack in the area, which had led to a heavy deployment of Israeli troops and a temporary closure of the highway.
The assault began around midday when militants opened fire on an Egged bus traveling on Highway 12, wounding seven passengers, mostly soldiers. Militants dressed in uniforms resembling those of the Egyptian Army then attacked passing vehicles; one attacker detonated a suicide vest, killing himself and a bus driver, while another shot and killed a female driver before firing an RPG at an Israeli helicopter. Israeli forces, including Golani Brigade soldiers and Yamam police, killed several attackers in the ensuing engagements, with one Israeli soldier killed by friendly fire. A separate anti-tank missile attack on a private vehicle killed four civilians, and a bomb was detonated near an Israeli army patrol along the border. Later in the day, an Israeli patrol came under fire from the Egyptian border side, and a Yamam sniper was critically wounded and later died.
In total, eight Israelis were killed — six civilians, a Yamam sniper, and a Golani Brigade soldier — along with eight to ten attackers, according to Israeli and Egyptian accounts. Five Egyptian soldiers were also killed during the pursuit; Egypt said Israeli forces were responsible, while an Israeli military officer initially attributed some of the deaths to a fleeing suicide bomber. The deaths of the Egyptian soldiers caused a diplomatic rift, with mass protests outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo and reports (later denied by Egypt's foreign ministry) that Egypt would withdraw its ambassador. Israel expressed regret, ordered a military probe, sent a letter of apology to Egypt, and agreed to a joint investigation.
No group claimed responsibility for the attacks, and the identities of the attackers — reportedly including three Egyptians — were not conclusively established. Israel accused the Gaza-based Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) of orchestrating the attacks, a claim the PRC denied while praising the operation. Israel launched airstrikes on PRC targets in Gaza immediately afterward, killing five PRC members, including its military chief. This escalation led to days of rocket fire from Gaza into Israel and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes, killing one Israeli and at least fifteen Palestinians before an informal ceasefire took hold on August 21, 2011, which was itself repeatedly tested by further rocket fire and airstrikes. In March 2012, an Israeli airstrike killed Zuhir al-Qaisi, the PRC's secretary-general, whom Israel described as one of the masterminds of the August 2011 attacks.
An internal IDF investigation later described the decision not to close the highway that morning as an understandable error rather than negligence, but criticized the presence of Israel's defense minister and military chief of staff near the attack scene while militants remained active nearby as a serious security lapse.
Key facts
- Victims
- Moshe Naftali, Yitzhak Sela, Pascal Avrahami, Yosef Levi, Emad Abdel Malak, Taha Mohamed Ibrahim, Osama Galal Emam, Ahmed Galal Mohamed, Ahmed Mohamed Abu Esa, Moshe Gez, Zuhir al-Qaisi, Dov Karlinski, Shula Karlinski, Flora Gez
- Date
- 2011
- Location
- Highway 12 near Eilat, southern Israel (Israel–Egypt border area)
- Case status
- unsolved
Case timeline
2011-07-30
Militants attacked an Egyptian police station in El-Arish, killing six.
2011-08-02
A group claiming to be the Sinai wing of Al-Qaeda declared intent to create an Islamic caliphate in the Sinai.
2011-08-14
Egyptian forces swept the Sinai Peninsula searching for terror cells; Jordanian intelligence warned Israel of an impending attack.
2011-08-16
Egyptian army captured four Islamist insurgents preparing to blow up a gas pipeline in northern Sinai.
2011-08-18
Coordinated attacks occurred on Highway 12 in southern Israel, killing eight Israelis; five Egyptian soldiers were also killed during the pursuit of attackers.
2011-08-18
Israeli Air Force struck Popular Resistance Committees targets in Gaza, killing five PRC members including its military chief.
2011-08-21
An informal ceasefire was declared between Israel and Hamas after days of escalating rocket fire and airstrikes.
2011-08-21
Reports emerged of Egypt recalling its ambassador to Israel; Egypt's foreign minister later denied this.
2011-08-25
Israel agreed to a joint investigation with Egypt into the killing of the five Egyptian soldiers.
2011-08-26
Gaza militants called a second truce; a large protest took place outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo.
2011-10
Israel sent a letter of apology to Egypt over the killing of the Egyptian security officers, as reported by The New York Times.
2012-03-09
Israeli Air Force killed Zuhir al-Qaisi, secretary-general of the Popular Resistance Committees, described by Israel as a mastermind of the August 2011 attacks.
Best coverage
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People
Moshe Naftali
VICTIMIsraeli soldier, Staff-Sergeant, killed in the attacks
Yitzhak Sela
VICTIMIsraeli civilian bus driver killed in the August 18, 2011 attacks
Pascal Avrahami
VICTIMYamam special unit police sniper killed in the attacks
Yosef Levi
VICTIMIsraeli civilian killed in the August 18, 2011 attacks
Emad Abdel Malak
VICTIMEgyptian soldier killed during the incident, presumably by Israeli forces
Taha Mohamed Ibrahim
VICTIMEgyptian officer killed during the incident, presumably by Israeli forces
Osama Galal Emam
VICTIMEgyptian officer killed during the incident, presumably by Israeli forces
Ahmed Galal Mohamed
VICTIMEgyptian soldier killed during the incident, presumably by Israeli forces
Ahmed Mohamed Abu Esa
VICTIMEgyptian soldier killed during the incident, presumably by Israeli forces
Moshe Gez
VICTIMIsraeli civilian killed in the attacks
Zuhir al-Qaisi
VICTIMSecretary-general of the Popular Resistance Committees, killed by Israeli airstrike in March 2012; described by Israel as a mastermind of the August 2011 attacks — no criminal charges are documented in the source
Dov Karlinski
VICTIMIsraeli civilian killed in the attacks
Shula Karlinski
VICTIMIsraeli civilian, kindergarten teacher's assistant, killed in the attacks
Flora Gez
VICTIMIsraeli civilian, kindergarten teacher, killed in the attacks
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
archival location
EgyptIsraelBorderEilat
Credit: Wilson44691 · Public domain · Source
archival location
Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Explosives from the 18-8-11 Multi-Pronged Terror Attack
Credit: Israel Defense Forces · CC BY 2.0 · Source
archival location
Terror Strikes Israeli Civilians in Southern Israel
Credit: Israel Defense Forces · CC BY 2.0 · Source
unclassified
Terror Strikes Israeli Civilians in Southern Israel (8)
Credit: Israel Defense Forces · CC BY 2.0 · Source
archival location
ISR-EGY border 6515a
Credit: Own work · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
unclassified
Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - 18-8-11 Multi-Pronged Terror Attack (2)
Credit: Israel Defense Forces · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source
crime scene press
18811 Multi-Pronged Terror Attack3
Credit: Israel Defense Forces · CC BY 2.0 · Source
unclassified
Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - 18-8-11 Multi-Pronged Terror Attack
Credit: Israel Defense Forces · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source
archival location
Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Terror Strikes Israeli Civilians in Southern Israel (3)
Credit: Israel Defense Forces · CC BY 2.0 · Source
unclassified
Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - 18-8-11 Multi-Pronged Terror Attack (4)
Credit: Israel Defense Forces · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source
unclassified
Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - 18-8-11 Multi-Pronged Terror Attack (5)
Credit: Israel Defense Forces · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source
archival location
ISR-EGY border 6517a
Credit: Own work · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Places
Common questions
- What happened to the victim?
- On August 18, 2011, militants carried out a series of coordinated attacks on Highway 12 near Israel's border with Egypt, killing eight Israelis; Israeli forces killed several attackers and, in the pursuit, also killed five Egyptian soldiers, triggering a diplomatic crisis and a wave of cross-border violence with Gaza.
- Where did the crime happen?
- Highway 12 near Eilat, southern Israel (Israel–Egypt border area).
- What is the current status of the case?
- Status: unsolved.
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Sources
- 2011 southern Israel cross-border attackswikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
- Contemporaneous coverage — The New York Timesnews · The New York Times · 2026-07-07
- Contemporaneous coverage — BBC Newsnews · BBC News · 2026-07-07