Palestinians in Gaza followed the bloody attacks in the Sinai Peninsula on July 1 with great concern when dozens of Islamic State (IS)-affiliated militants, known as Wilayat Sinai, attacked Egyptian military sites. Armed clashes between the two sides lasted several hours, and dozens were killed and wounded on both sides.

South of the Gaza Strip in Rafah, residents’ fears were voiced by Jihad al-Rai, who stressed that he and his fellow citizens fear that “these attacks would negatively affect the nascent improvement of the relationship between Hamas and Egypt and that the events in Sinai would extend to Gaza, since the residents of the Gaza Strip heard sounds of shells and gunfire exchanged between the Egyptian army and the militants on July 1.”

The bloody clashes in Sheikh Zuweid concerned not only the Egyptians. Rai and his neighbors felt that they were deeply involved, given the proximity of the attack sites to Gaza’s southern border, which lies at about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Sheikh Zuweid.

On July 3, Mousa Abu Marzouk, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, condemned the Sinai attacks. Marzouk said the attacks adversely affect security in Gaza, because Sinai is the only access to the Gaza Strip from Egypt.