Sinai attack threatens Egypt-Hamas ties
Egypt has accused Hamas of being behind the latest attack in Sinai, but Hamas vehemently denied this, saying the security of Egypt is closely related to Gaza’s security.
Friday, Oct. 24, was not an ordinary day in Gaza. Political circles discussed the news from the Sinai Peninsula of the suicide bombing at two military sites that wounded several Egyptian soldiers and led to the deaths of 30 others.
Palestinian factions condemned the attacks that targeted the Egyptian forces in Sinai.
The attack on Sinai stirred concerns among the Hamas movement that it would affect its relations with Egypt, which significantly improved after the end of the war on the Gaza Strip.
It quickly became obvious that the events in Sinai would not stop there, but its repercussions would reach Gaza, as has happened in previous events. The director of the border crossings in Gaza, Maher Abu Sabha, told Al-Monitor, “Egypt has informed us that the Rafah crossing is now closed until further notice due to the Sinai incident, and without setting a time frame for its closure.” It was expected that “it would be closed for a long period of time, after a curfew and a state of emergency in Sinai were set for three months.”
