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Israel closes Egyptian border, on high alert following Islamic State attacks in Sinai

Jul 4, 2015 1:00 pm By Ralph Sidway

The recent wave of ISIS attacks against Egypt has been described as “full-fledged war.” Fox News is now reporting that the Islamic State affiliate in Egypt claims it has fired rockets into Israel as it escalates its operations. This report by Breitbart concludes with, “ISIS in Syria released a video this week threatening to destroy Hamas and install a religious government like that currently running Islamic State territory.” Not that any of this has anything to do with Islam.

“Israel closes Egyptian border, Country on high alert following ISIS clashes in Sinai,” by Donna Rachel Edmunds, Breitbart News, July 3, 2015:

Israel has closed border crossings into Egypt and shut off a highway running along the border. This follows a wave of attacks by ISIS in Egypt which have been described as “full-fledged war”. Hamas is believed to be working with the jihadist insurgents.

As the world mourned the victims of the terrorist atrocities in France, Tunisia and Kuwait which between them claimed dozens of lives, Egypt was fighting its own battles with a home-grown ISIS insurgent group known as “Sinai Province”.

On Monday, the Egyptian state prosecutor Hisham Barakat was killed when a car bomb detonated as his motorcade made its way from the Misr al-Jadida quarter of Cairo to his office. A number of Barakat’s security personnel and passers-by were injured, and 30 cars damaged in the blast, the first in many years to successfully claim the life of a senior official, according to Haaretz.

Then on Wednesday, Sinai Province unleashed a wave of attacks on towns all along the coast, including Rafah on the Gaza border, Sheikh Zuweid and El-Arish. There are conflicting reports on the numbers of casualties; The Guardian reported a source in the Egyptian army putting the death toll at 17 soldiers and 100 militants, although both figures are likely to have been massaged for PR purposes. The paper notes that others have estimated the military’s death toll at around 30, while Haaretz puts the total death toll at at least 50.

A spokesman for the Egyptian military, Mohammed Samir Abdelaziz Ghaneem posted to his Facebook page: “70 terrorists attacked 5 checkpoints simultaneously in North Sinai.” The jihadists appear to be adopting techniques used in Syria and Iraq by ISIS, in which towns are laid siege to and overtaken, allowing the group to then lay claim to the surrounding villages and rural areas.

Haaretz said that the battles have gone further than mere insurgency, noting: “the fighting raging in Sinai since Wednesday has crossed the line between combating “terror cells” and turned into a full-fledged war. This is a war on many fronts – similar to the war waged in Iraq against Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL). Some of this war is taking place in the big cities like Cairo, Faiyum, El Arish and Rafah; and some in open areas. It’s like a war against a foreign enemy, although most of the enemy consists of Egyptian citizens.”

Most of Wednesday’s fighting was based around Sheikh Zuweid on the Mediterranean coast, where all military posts were hit simultaneously. Security forces have reported that the attack was repelled, but other sources have said that the town has already been taken over, and that militants have been lining the roads approaching the town with bombs in order to deter Egyptian forces attempting to regain control.

El Arish may also have come under ISIS control. If they are being run by Sinai Province, the region is likely to witness the sorts of severe punishments for infringement of religious rules already witnessed in Islamic State territory.

One of the attacks near the town of Rafah took place just four kilometres from Israel, prompting the Israeli government to close off two checkpoints along the border and also the closure of Israel’s Highway 12, which runs along the length of the border between Israel and Egypt.

Yesterday an Israeli general told Al Jezeera that Hamas is working with Sinai Province, and had provided the group with weapons and logistical support, even smuggling wounded fighters across the border for medical treatment. The group is also noted to be using sophisticated weaponry, including Russian-made missiles.

Israel has “clear information that Hamas is supporting the Wilayat Sinai, which belongs to Daesh,” claimed Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, referring to ISIS by their Arabic acronym.  “I am confident in this [information] and I have proof,” he added….

 

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Filed Under: Egypt, Islamic State (aka ISIS, ISIL, Daesh), Israel Tagged With: Hisham Barakat, Sinai


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Comments

  1. Stanton Cordray says

    Jul 4, 2015 at 1:16 pm

    I have been unable to access a story on jihadwatch for about two weeks. I’m in now, but it’s not hard to guess that attacks on the site will resume soon, if that’s what that was, and it certainly looked like it.

    You value truth-speaking and the freedom to do it more every time someone tries to stop it. I trust that jihadwatch is ever vigilant, and is making its best effort to keep the site available, and I am thankful for that.

    • Brian says

      Jul 4, 2015 at 1:44 pm

      What browser and anti virus are you using? I have never had a problem using Chrome browser with Norton.

    • Caroline says

      Jul 4, 2015 at 4:29 pm

      I have difficulty posting comments

  2. duh_swami says

    Jul 4, 2015 at 1:32 pm

    So Hamas is helping those who would destroy it…That must be some of that ‘Divine Islamic Logic’ we hear so much about…
    But ‘Divine Islamic Logic’, has nothing to do with Islam, I keep forgetting…so it must be something else. I’m sure no matter what it is, the mighty Egyptian army can take care of the problem…

  3. 11B40 says

    Jul 4, 2015 at 2:20 pm

    Greetings:

    I get a bit of my TV news from the France24 English-language broadcasts. When the attacks in the Sinai first showed up, the proximity to Hamas-occupied Gaza was mentioned. A bit later, Gaza was no longer mentioned but the map shown indicated the geography. And then, another bit later that was also gone.

    And so it goes.

  4. somehistory says

    Jul 4, 2015 at 2:31 pm

    Russia has its many problems with muslims. These fighting in Egypt and threatening Israel, will be fighting Israel, maybe already are, using Russian missiles to kill their fellow Egyptians. What a terrible mess is the world with muslims, fighting for their beast of islam to take over everywhere in order to kill all who do not worship satan their way.

    Israel is right to protect itself. But others will complain about it anyway.

  5. abad says

    Jul 4, 2015 at 2:46 pm

    Too bad we don’t shut our borders like Israel does. They know the monster’s motives.

  6. ElderlyZionist says

    Jul 4, 2015 at 5:58 pm

    Iran arms Hamas to harass Israel, even though Hamas is a Sunni Muslim Brotherhood organization.

    Iran fights the Sunni mujahidin of ISIS to save Assad’s Baathists in Syria and the Shia al-Maliki regime in Iraq.

    Now Hamas shows their true sympathies by passing Iranian weapons to ISIS mujahidin in Sinai, who are presently fighting the Egyptian army, but who will surely soon attack any Persians or Shia Arabs within their reach.

    So the snake begins to bite itself. Good.

  7. Angemon says

    Jul 4, 2015 at 6:57 pm

    Hamas is believed to be working with the jihadist insurgents.

    Aren’t Hamas also jihadist insurgents?

  8. RonaldB says

    Jul 4, 2015 at 7:50 pm

    ““ISIS in Syria released a video this week threatening to destroy Hamas and install a religious government like that currently running Islamic State territory.”

    There’s kind of a conundrum. Does ISIS intend to destroy Hamas, or is Hamas aiding ISIS?

    My speculation is that both are true.

    The weaker Hamas is, the more it has to maintain its appeal to ISIS supporters within its own borders.

    I hope Israel follows its own long-range interests. Up to now, Hamas is not fully in control of the groups in the Gaza strip, and some of its rivals have been shooting rockets into Israel. I remember the last time, there was a report that Hamas sent a message saying it wasn’t responsible for the rockets, but Israel responded with bombing attacks anyway. My suggestion is that Israel needs to forgo non-essential retaliation to permit Hamas to assert complete control over its own territory. Every response by Israel weakens Hamas.

    Once Hamas is in control, as much as it hates Israel, its interests are in maintaining a kind of peace, just like the Palestinian Authority. The first priority of any government is to maintain its own existence, which causes it to not take actions the will trigger attacks by strong neighbors. As vile as the Palestinian Authority is, it at least keeps a lid on most would-be jihadis…not willingly, of course but for purposes of survival.

    Also, Israel should maintain a hands-off approach to the Sinai Province gang, letting the Egyptians do most of the work. The Egyptians should see the fight as a fight to maintain Egyptian integrity, rather than as an Israeli battle. This may require Israel to tolerate ISIS contingents closer to itself than it would be comfortable with. Of course, should ISIS directly threaten Israel in any way, Israel should wipe out the offending armies and supporters completely. I suspect that “human rights” when involved with ISIS will have to take a backseat, and will be used only to hamstring Israel’s freedom of action.

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