On 5 October 1985, an Egyptian soldier, Suleiman Khater, machine-gunned a group of Israelis, killing three adults and four young children, on the dunes of Ras Burqa.

Ten days later, on 8 January 1986, Khatir was found dead in his prison hospital room hanging by a strip torn from a sheet of plastic.

Near the anniversary in October 2018 the Turkey-based Muslim Brotherhood Watan TV host Dina Zakaria called Khater a hero.

[17] The glorification of Khatir as a national hero in the Egyptian opposition press was echoed in other Arab countries, and mass demonstrations were held in his support.

Farid Abd al-Karim [ar], one of the leaders of the Arab Socialist Party, called Khater "the conscience of this nation", whose bullets "washed away the shame" of the Camp David Peace Accords between Israel and Egypt.

"[citation needed] Mubarak's lack of intervention until in a late stage in attempts to present Khatir as a martyred hero hampered efforts to reach an accord on Taba.

Ali Hillal Dessouki, a professor at the University of Cairo, said he was astonished that such men as Khater could be accused of madness and expressed his sadness for the "so-called sane".

[22] An Egyptian newspaper published in February 2014 letters written by Khater, alongside the testimonies of his friends who visited him in prison during his last days.

In one of the two letters, in the possession of his friends, Khater said that he was furious at Israel's treatment of Egypt, its attacks on Lebanon, and the many activities of the Israeli Air Force in the Sinai – despite the peace agreement.

[24] Examples of memorials to the victims include: public benches in the name of Ofri Tural in Timrat where her mother lives; the Hebrew University memorial to its staff and students lists Anita Griffel, and the song "Perach" ('Flower') – lyrics by Suki Lahav, music by Yehuda Poliker and first performed by Gidi Gov.

[25] In 1986, as part of the Taba talks, Egypt agreed to submit a report on the murder at Ras Burka, and discuss the question of reparations to the bereaved families.

The Wall Street Journal said that the amounts were "well within the norms of established international standards" and the Sun-Sentinel wrote "Egypt agreed to pay $500,000 in compensation".