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Israel to approve Egypt reinforcements after massive ISIS Sinai attack

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An ISIS-affiliated group in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula yesterday carried out a series of sophisticated, coordinated attacks on Egyptian security personnel near Israel’s border, leaving at least 100 people dead.

Egypt’s military said that at least 70 terrorists carried out the simultaneous attacks, which included at least three suicide bombings, targeting numerous army checkpoints in northern Sinai which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip. The town of Sheikh Zuweid is reported to have become a virtual battle zone as Egypt’s military fought back against a group calling themselves Sinai Province, which is thought to be a manifestation of the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group, which last year pledged allegiance to ISIS.

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. Although the regime in Cairo has been the primary target for Ansar, the group has also made clear that it is committed to attacking Israel. 18 months ago, two rockets were fired by the group on Eilat, Israel’s southernmost city.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the Sinai attacks saying, “Islamic State is not only across from the Golan Heights, it is also in Egypt, across from Rafah, in other words across from our borders … we are together with Egypt and many other states in the Middle East and the world in the struggle against extreme Islamic terrorism.” The Nitzana and Kerem Shalom border crossings were closed yesterday as a precaution. Channel Two says that Israel will approve Egyptian requests to bolster forces in Sinai, with such permission stipulated in the terms of the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Haaretz reports that Israeli officials believe that Hamas has close ties with the Sinai Province group. Egypt has long accused Hamas of aiding attacks in Sinai, especially as Hamas is a strong supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood.