Israel closed its border with Egypt following warnings by its anti-terrorism authorities of an “imminent” terrorist attack.
The closure came just hours before the start of the Passover holiday, when Israeli Christians travel to Sinai, a popular destination for then in that period.
Israel had previously warned of increased ISIL activity in the Sinai, and Sunday’s attacks in Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta on Coptic Christians seemingly appear to have vindicated their fears.
The Israeli government statement says that intelligence information shows “increased activity by Islamic State militants” in Sinai. It adds that with the Islamic State group losing ground in Iraq and Syria, there is renewed “motivation to carry out terror attacks in different arenas at this time.”
Southern Sinai, with its pristine beaches and Red Sea coral reefs, has traditionally been a popular Israeli tourist destination — especially for secular Israelis during the Passover holiday that starts Monday evening.
Tourism has however declined there since 2013 due to the ouster of an Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. An Islamic insurgency based in northern Sinai has intensified since then.
The closure is expected to remain in place for a week – Israel’s government is urging Israelis already in the Peninsula to return to Israel.
