Military correspondent for Israel Army Radio, Doron Kadosh, is reporting that the security establishment is investigating the escape of Ayman al Batniji, a senior officer in the Hamas police who until recently served as the police spokesman in Gaza. According to the report, Batniji received Egypt's approval to enter its territory.
The list of those allowed to leave the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing currently includes foreign nationals and local residents in need of special medical treatment. This list is transferred to the Coordination Unit of the Government's Operations in the Territories (COGAT) and the Shin Bet for approval. The Shin Bet, for its part, is now saying that it did not receive al Bataniji's name.
Following the publication that the terrorist had fled to Egypt, the head of COGAT stated that: "The Rafah crossing is secured by Egypt, and since the beginning of the war great efforts have been made in coordination with Egyptian authorities to monitor the movement of refugees at the location. A request for Ayman Bataniji's departure was not forwarded to the relevant security forces in the IDF or the Shin Bet. The matter is under investigation."
