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Egypt accuses Hamas of involvement in deadly Sinai attacks, killing 27

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Islamist terrorists in the Sinai Peninsula, which borders Israel, yesterday launched one of their most deadly attacks on Egyptian army and police positions, killing at least 27 security personnel.

The attacks showed a high degree of coordination. Firstly, a bomb exploded at a military base and headquarters in northern Sinai. Later in the day, a roadside bomb in Suez City killed a police officer, an assault took place at a checkpoint in El-Arish and an army officer was killed at a checkpoint near Rafah, which borders the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, which pledged allegiance to ISIS several months ago took responsibility for yesterday’s attacks. Since the ousting of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in 2013, Ansar has targeted the regime of President al-Sisi, persistently attacking Egyptian military forces in Sinai. In response, Egypt’s military has launched an ongoing offensive against the group, making parts of Sinai a closed military zone following a deadly attack in October.

Although the regime in Cairo has been the primary target for Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, the group has also made clear that it is committed to attacking Israel. A year ago, two rockets were fired by the group on Eilat, Israel’s southernmost city, also an important tourist resort and commercial port. The city came under fire last year too and its airport was closed last year as a precaution. In August, Ansar broadcast that it had decapitated four Egyptians who it accused of spying for Israel.

Despite Ansar’s claim of responsibility for yesterday’s attacks, Channel Two report that an Egyptian government official assessed, “Such an attack could not have happened without Hamas.” Egyptian officials have long accused Hamas of supporting terrorist groups in Sinai. Egyptian authorities recently razed more than 800 homes in Rafah, to help create a buffer zone which aims to prevent the smuggling of arms and fighters into the Sinai Peninsula from Gaza, which is believed to have at least tacit support from Hamas.