Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said on his Facebook page that "Egyptian blood is too precious to be spilled without a response."
"I am currently discussing available options regarding the deaths of noble Egyptian troops," he said.
Amr Mussa, who has emerged as a leading presidential candidate after stepping down as Arab League chief earlier this year, lamented Thursday`s deaths of up to five policemen and said "there must be a reaction."
"The blood of these conscripts is not cheap. All parties, including Israel, have to be warned against harming Egyptian soldiers," he said.
The ruling military said it has lodged a formal complaint with Israel and demanded an urgent investigation into the killing of three policemen on the border.
The military said the policemen were caught in the line of fire as an Israeli helicopter targeted militants who carried out an attack in Israel earlier in the day that killed eight people.
Security officials, however, gave a higher toll, saying five policemen were killed by gunfire from unknown assailants.
Saad al-Katatni, a leader of the influential Muslim Brotherhood`s Freedom and Justice Party, said "the Zionists (Israel) must realise that Egyptian blood now has a price," in a statement published on the daily Shorouk`s website.
Despite a 1979 peace treaty with Israel, many Egyptians still view their neighbour with hostility and there have been calls to revise the peace agreement after a popular revolt ousted president Hosni Mubarak in February.
The military, which took power after Mubarak`s overthrow, has said it would honour the treaty.(*)
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
