21 August, 2017
Often closed, Egypt reopened it on Monday to allow pilgrims to go to Makkah and for humanitarian reasons.
A Palestinian suicide bomber in Gaza blew himself up Thursday morning at a checkpoint inside the coastal enclave, killing a member of Hamas' military wing, according to a statement from Gaza's Interior Minister Iyad al-Bazem.
How times have changed. He said the attacker was not affiliated with the Islamic State and was "ideologically deviant".
Egyptian forces have been fighting an bloody insurgency by salafists linked to the Islamic State in the northern Sinai for several years, with near-daily bombings and shootings.
The source added that "Hamas is now determined to pursue and arrest all members and supporters of those organizations before referring them to military courts and prisons".
No Israelis were physically injured and no property damage was reported in the attack.
In a message of great significance, Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh attended in Rafah Thursday a funeral held for the Qassam guard who was killed in the ISIS attack. Hamas, forced to choose between life and death, agreed to Egypt's demand.
Israel and Egypt have efficiently cooperated on security issues since the Muslim Brotherhood's ouster in 2013. There is a blackout regarding Israeli-Egyptian security cooperation from both sides in order, it appears, to avoid embarrassing Sisi, although former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon had confirmed in July 2013, "Any Egyptian force that enters Sinai, enters with our approval".
