Cairo: Two Israeli tourists and their Egyptian tour guide were fatally shot in the city of Alexandria, according to the Israeli foreign ministry, media reports said.

A police officer reportedly opened fire at a group of Israeli tourists amid spiralling violence between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas.

The officer is currently in custody.

An unnamed security official mentioned that another person was injured in the incident. This is the first attack on Israelis in Egypt in many years.

According to the news agency AFP, the policeman fired "at random" using "his personal weapon" at an Israeli tour group visiting Alexandria, the state-affiliated private television Extra News said quoting a security source. A fourth person was wounded and the policeman was "immediately arrested", it added.