Sinai official denies Gazan terrorists operating in peninsula

A top Sinai official denied claims that Egypt allowed Gazan terrorists to infiltrate its territory and carry out an attack that killed an Israeli civilian Monday morning.

Speaking to the Middle Eastern News Agency, North Sinai Govenor Abdel Wahab Mabrouk said Egypt’s borders were secure and any terror attack was an internal Israeli issue.

“Sinai is secure and controlled on our side and any infiltrator is arrested immediately,” he said.

An unnamed military official claimed that Palestinian terrorists were not operating in Sinai or working to infiltrate Israel.

Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich of the IDF Spokesperson’s Office said that the nature of the attackers’ deployment and the quality of the explosives and other gear were similar to those used in previous attacks in the region.

An Israeli civilian was killed Monday along the Egyptian border in an ambush combining rifle fire, antitank weapons and two explosive devices. Two terrorists who reportedly crossed into Israel were killed in an ensuing gunfight.

The identity of the perpetrators, she said, could not be discussed at this time. The IDF is investigating links to Gaza-based terror organizations.

IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai told Israel Radio there was no conclusive proof the attack was related to the launching of rockets from Sinai over the weekend, but said the army had yet to rule out that possibility.

Previous attacks in the region have been perpetrated by squads of Sinai-based Bedouin, with directives allegedly coming in from terror groups in Gaza. Since the fall of the central government in Egypt last year the rule of law in the Sinai Peninsula has largely collapsed as the influence of Islamist groups has grown.

Earlier in the day Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the situation in the Sinai peninsula was deteriorating.

“Just yesterday, two rockets were fired at Israel into the southern part of the Negev.  We see here a disturbing deterioration in Egyptian control in Sinai.  We are waiting for the results of the election.  Whoever wins, we expect them to take responsibility for all of Egypt’s international commitments, including the peace treaty with Israel and the security arrangements in Sinai; swiftly putting an end to these attacks,” he said in a statement.