24 feb 2014
Mahlab is expected to become prime minister
Egyptian President Adly Mansour has accepted the resignation of prime minister Hazem al-Beblawi and appointed Ibrahim Mahlab as his successor, a high-ranking source said Monday.
The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Ma’an that Mahlab will make limited changes to the cabinet formation.
That will include removing ministers Maha al-Rabbat, Sharif Ismael, Taher Abu Zeid, Mohammad Abu Shadi, Ahmad Imam, and Mohammad Abd al-Mottaleb from their posts.
Mahlab, who held the position of housing minister, welcomed his appointment and met with minister of interior Mohamed Ibrahim, according to the source, an official in the presidency.
The government submitted its resignation to Mansour earlier on Monday, the cabinet said, in a move just weeks before a presidential poll.
Egypt is due to hold the presidential election by mid-April, and defense minister and army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is widely tipped to win the poll if he stands.
But Sisi has to resign from the government and the army before he can officially announce his bid to run for president.
Beblawi's government was appointed in July after Sisi ousted Islamist Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first elected and civilian president.
"The cabinet decided in light of the current situation that the country is going through ... to submit its resignation to Adly Mansour, the interim president," the cabinet said in a statement.
Beblawi praised the government's performance on state television on Monday.
"For the past six to seven months, the government assumed its responsibilities and duties ... the government did not spare any efforts to get Egypt out of a bad phase," Beblawi said in reference to security and economic issues.
"This is not the time for personal interests. The nation is above everybody."
Beblawi said the government had also completed the first step in a road map outlined by the military-installed authorities, of holding a referendum on a new constitution in January.
Egyptian President Adly Mansour has accepted the resignation of prime minister Hazem al-Beblawi and appointed Ibrahim Mahlab as his successor, a high-ranking source said Monday.
The source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Ma’an that Mahlab will make limited changes to the cabinet formation.
That will include removing ministers Maha al-Rabbat, Sharif Ismael, Taher Abu Zeid, Mohammad Abu Shadi, Ahmad Imam, and Mohammad Abd al-Mottaleb from their posts.
Mahlab, who held the position of housing minister, welcomed his appointment and met with minister of interior Mohamed Ibrahim, according to the source, an official in the presidency.
The government submitted its resignation to Mansour earlier on Monday, the cabinet said, in a move just weeks before a presidential poll.
Egypt is due to hold the presidential election by mid-April, and defense minister and army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is widely tipped to win the poll if he stands.
But Sisi has to resign from the government and the army before he can officially announce his bid to run for president.
Beblawi's government was appointed in July after Sisi ousted Islamist Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first elected and civilian president.
"The cabinet decided in light of the current situation that the country is going through ... to submit its resignation to Adly Mansour, the interim president," the cabinet said in a statement.
Beblawi praised the government's performance on state television on Monday.
"For the past six to seven months, the government assumed its responsibilities and duties ... the government did not spare any efforts to get Egypt out of a bad phase," Beblawi said in reference to security and economic issues.
"This is not the time for personal interests. The nation is above everybody."
Beblawi said the government had also completed the first step in a road map outlined by the military-installed authorities, of holding a referendum on a new constitution in January.
Ahmed Bahar, first deputy speaker of the Palestinian legislative council (PLC), said that the Palestinian resistance has never been a terrorist group because it defends its people and land against the Israeli occupation and its crimes. Bahar made his remarks during a parliamentary meeting held on Sunday inside a sit-in tent erected at the Rafah border crossing to protest eight years of tight blockade imposed on the population in Gaza.
"Is the resistance that defends the justice of its cause terrorist? Is the resistance that is at the vanguard of defending the Arab and Islamic nations terrorist?" Bahar emphasized in his speech.
The deputy speaker appealed to the Egyptian judiciary to respect the Palestinian people's resistance and the sacrifices they have made for their national cause, and stop making unreal accusations against it.
However, the deputy speaker expressed his appreciation to the Egyptian authorities for giving Gaza pilgrims the opportunity to travel to the holy land in Makkah.
He urged Egypt to open its Rafah border terminal every day before the movement of goods and individuals, especially for humanitarian cases.
He also appealed to the UN to assume its legal and humanitarian role in ending the blockade imposed on Gaza, and expressed hope that its General Assembly and human rights council would convene to table the issue of the siege.
"Is the resistance that defends the justice of its cause terrorist? Is the resistance that is at the vanguard of defending the Arab and Islamic nations terrorist?" Bahar emphasized in his speech.
The deputy speaker appealed to the Egyptian judiciary to respect the Palestinian people's resistance and the sacrifices they have made for their national cause, and stop making unreal accusations against it.
However, the deputy speaker expressed his appreciation to the Egyptian authorities for giving Gaza pilgrims the opportunity to travel to the holy land in Makkah.
He urged Egypt to open its Rafah border terminal every day before the movement of goods and individuals, especially for humanitarian cases.
He also appealed to the UN to assume its legal and humanitarian role in ending the blockade imposed on Gaza, and expressed hope that its General Assembly and human rights council would convene to table the issue of the siege.
Egypt's prime minister Hazem al-Beblawi said his government submitted its resignation to interim president Adly Mansour on Monday, state media reported.
The announcement comes ahead of a presidential election due to be held by mid-April and as defense minister and army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is widely tipped to win the poll if he stands.
But Sisi has to resign from the government and the army before he can officially announce his bid to run for president.
The announcement comes ahead of a presidential election due to be held by mid-April and as defense minister and army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is widely tipped to win the poll if he stands.
But Sisi has to resign from the government and the army before he can officially announce his bid to run for president.
Egypt's closure of tunnels and Israel's ban on shipping building materials into the Gaza Strip left more than 70.000 construction workers, professionals and engineers jobless, the Palestinian contractors union said on Sunday. Nabil Abu Muailaq the Director of the union told ALRAY that 30,000 workers in various economic sectors have been affected directly and another 40,000 were affected indirectly due to this siege .
He pointed out that the construction and service sectors and industries depending on them, such as craft workshop and transportation equipment stopped working as a result of the siege and closure imposed on the enclave.
He made clear that 95 percent of construction companies are completely cracked and 5 present are still working at Qatari and UN projects .
The construction sector is considered the biggest one that employs workers and contributes in 27 percent of GDP which is about 135 million dollars during the second quarter of 2013.
Israel froze shipments of building materials to the Gaza Strip after discovering an alleged "terror tunnel" entering its borders from the adjoining territory.
The Gaza Strip has been under a severe economic blockade imposed by Israel since 2007.
The blockade was imposed following the victory of the Hamas in the 2006 Palestinian elections and the subsequent 2007 events.
The blockade has severely limited the imports and exports of the Gaza Strip and has led to frequent humanitarian crises and hardship for Gazans.
He pointed out that the construction and service sectors and industries depending on them, such as craft workshop and transportation equipment stopped working as a result of the siege and closure imposed on the enclave.
He made clear that 95 percent of construction companies are completely cracked and 5 present are still working at Qatari and UN projects .
The construction sector is considered the biggest one that employs workers and contributes in 27 percent of GDP which is about 135 million dollars during the second quarter of 2013.
Israel froze shipments of building materials to the Gaza Strip after discovering an alleged "terror tunnel" entering its borders from the adjoining territory.
The Gaza Strip has been under a severe economic blockade imposed by Israel since 2007.
The blockade was imposed following the victory of the Hamas in the 2006 Palestinian elections and the subsequent 2007 events.
The blockade has severely limited the imports and exports of the Gaza Strip and has led to frequent humanitarian crises and hardship for Gazans.
22 feb 2014
An Egyptian naval ship opened fire at a Palestinian fishing boat off the coast of the southern Gaza Strip early Saturday, a Palestinian union official said.
Nizar Ayyash, spokesman for the union of Gaza fishermen, told Ma'an that the Egyptian navy fired warning shots at a fishing boat off the coast of Rafah.
The fishing boat was nearing Egyptian territorial waters, Ayyash said.
The Egyptian ship was stationed just within Palestinian territorial waters at the time, he added.
Ayyash said that the Gaza fishing boat sailed away after the warning shots were fired. No injuries were reported.
In August, Egyptian forces fired at Gaza fishermen, injuring two men and arresting six others.
Egypt-Gaza relations have deteriorated since the military ouster of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in July.
Palestinian fishermen are severely impacted by the Gaza Strip's political isolation. Israel imposes strict limitations on Gaza fishermen, regularly firing at boats that stray into what Israel's army calls "unauthorized fishing zones."
In the Oslo Accords, Israel agreed to a 20-nautical-mile fishing zone off Gaza's coast, but it has imposed a three-mile limit for several years.
Israel has controlled Gaza waters since its occupation of the area in 1967, and has kept several warships stationed off the coast since 2008.
There are 4,000 fishermen in Gaza. According to a 2011 report by the International Committee of the Red Cross, 90 percent are poor, an increase of 40 percent from 2008 and a result of Israeli limits on the fishing industry.
Egyptian navy violate Gaza waters, fire on fishermen
An Egyptian gunboat on Saturday morning opened fire towards a Palestinian boat off the Rafah coast in the southern Gaza Strip after violating the Palestinian maritime borders. Nizar Ayyash, Head of the Palestinian Fishermen's Syndicate, told ALRAY that the Egyptian boat crossed into the Palestinian waters about 200 meters, and chased down and fired at one of the boats.
Ayyash said no one was injured in the incident and denounced the repeated Egyptian navy’s attacks against the fishermen in Rafah.
In September 2013, Egyptian navy arrested two fishermen, wounded five , and confiscated a boat in a similar attack on Palestinian fishermen.
Under the current military rule in Egypt, the Palestinian fishermen of Rafah have been banned to fish in the few nautical miles of Egyptian waters they were allowed to venture during Morsi's one-year presidency.
Gaza has nearly 3700 fishermen divided into the five governorates. They are fishing within a loose six nautical miles limit that the Israeli occupation set for them under an agreement that followed the eight-day 2012 offensive against Gaza.
Nizar Ayyash, spokesman for the union of Gaza fishermen, told Ma'an that the Egyptian navy fired warning shots at a fishing boat off the coast of Rafah.
The fishing boat was nearing Egyptian territorial waters, Ayyash said.
The Egyptian ship was stationed just within Palestinian territorial waters at the time, he added.
Ayyash said that the Gaza fishing boat sailed away after the warning shots were fired. No injuries were reported.
In August, Egyptian forces fired at Gaza fishermen, injuring two men and arresting six others.
Egypt-Gaza relations have deteriorated since the military ouster of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in July.
Palestinian fishermen are severely impacted by the Gaza Strip's political isolation. Israel imposes strict limitations on Gaza fishermen, regularly firing at boats that stray into what Israel's army calls "unauthorized fishing zones."
In the Oslo Accords, Israel agreed to a 20-nautical-mile fishing zone off Gaza's coast, but it has imposed a three-mile limit for several years.
Israel has controlled Gaza waters since its occupation of the area in 1967, and has kept several warships stationed off the coast since 2008.
There are 4,000 fishermen in Gaza. According to a 2011 report by the International Committee of the Red Cross, 90 percent are poor, an increase of 40 percent from 2008 and a result of Israeli limits on the fishing industry.
Egyptian navy violate Gaza waters, fire on fishermen
An Egyptian gunboat on Saturday morning opened fire towards a Palestinian boat off the Rafah coast in the southern Gaza Strip after violating the Palestinian maritime borders. Nizar Ayyash, Head of the Palestinian Fishermen's Syndicate, told ALRAY that the Egyptian boat crossed into the Palestinian waters about 200 meters, and chased down and fired at one of the boats.
Ayyash said no one was injured in the incident and denounced the repeated Egyptian navy’s attacks against the fishermen in Rafah.
In September 2013, Egyptian navy arrested two fishermen, wounded five , and confiscated a boat in a similar attack on Palestinian fishermen.
Under the current military rule in Egypt, the Palestinian fishermen of Rafah have been banned to fish in the few nautical miles of Egyptian waters they were allowed to venture during Morsi's one-year presidency.
Gaza has nearly 3700 fishermen divided into the five governorates. They are fishing within a loose six nautical miles limit that the Israeli occupation set for them under an agreement that followed the eight-day 2012 offensive against Gaza.
20 feb 2014
The Palestinian government welcomed the latest remarks made by Egyptian foreign minister Nabil Fahmi about the need for ending the blockade imposed on Gaza, and urged Cairo to take positive steps in this regard. Basem Naim, the advisor to the Palestinian premier for foreign affairs, called on Egypt to turn its words into action through lifting its restrictions on the movement of individuals and goods at the Rafah border crossing.
Naim reiterated his government's keenness on Egypt's security and stability, and stressed that the improvement of the humanitarian situation in Gaza is a strategic interest for Egypt.
Fahmi had made his remarks during a recent meeting with commissioner-general of the UNRWA Filippo Grandi.
The minister also expressed his country's concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Naim reiterated his government's keenness on Egypt's security and stability, and stressed that the improvement of the humanitarian situation in Gaza is a strategic interest for Egypt.
Fahmi had made his remarks during a recent meeting with commissioner-general of the UNRWA Filippo Grandi.
The minister also expressed his country's concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
19 feb 2014
Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper has said that for the first time since the 1980s Egyptian forces have reinforced their presence and started to develop surveillance systems on the border with the occupied Palestinian territories.
The moves have been coordinated with the Israeli occupation army. The Hebrew-language newspaper pointed out that the Egyptians are acting in the light of increased security threats across the Sinai Peninsula. It pointed out that the reinforcements include establishing control points and concrete towers along the border region near the wall which was built by Israel last year.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, it is expected that the new control points will provide better protection for Egyptian soldiers armed only with light weapons and anti-tank missiles. Some watchtowers have already been built in place of the small encampments used previously.
It was the lack of suitable defensive measures in such camps which has been blamed for the loss of life at the hands of armed groups in northern Sinai.
The moves have been coordinated with the Israeli occupation army. The Hebrew-language newspaper pointed out that the Egyptians are acting in the light of increased security threats across the Sinai Peninsula. It pointed out that the reinforcements include establishing control points and concrete towers along the border region near the wall which was built by Israel last year.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, it is expected that the new control points will provide better protection for Egyptian soldiers armed only with light weapons and anti-tank missiles. Some watchtowers have already been built in place of the small encampments used previously.
It was the lack of suitable defensive measures in such camps which has been blamed for the loss of life at the hands of armed groups in northern Sinai.
17 feb 2014
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri categorically denied new Egyptian media claims that the body of the alleged suicide bomber in the area of Al-Asher farms in Ismailia city belongs to a Palestinian leader from his Movement.
Spokesman Abu Zuhri stated on Sunday that no one from Hamas died in Egypt and described the Egyptian accusation as unfounded lies.
The spokesman defied the Egyptian authorities to declare the name of the dead man, and said that such accusation is part of the Egyptian media lies against the Palestinian resistance.
Spokesman Abu Zuhri stated on Sunday that no one from Hamas died in Egypt and described the Egyptian accusation as unfounded lies.
The spokesman defied the Egyptian authorities to declare the name of the dead man, and said that such accusation is part of the Egyptian media lies against the Palestinian resistance.
16 feb 2014
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Four civilians were killed on Sunday afternoon and 29 others were injured after a roadside bomb was detonated near a bus carrying civilians near the Taba checkpoint in the Sinai Peninsula close to the border with Israel.
Sinai ambulance services director Khalid Abu Hashem told Ma'an that the blast occurred as a tourist bus was passing by the site where a bomb had been timed to detonate. He said that three Korean civilians and the Egyptian bus driver were killed while 29 others were injured as a result of the attack. |
Remains of individuals who were still unidentified but were suspected to be Korean citizens were found in the vicinity of the explosion, he added.
An Egyptian security source told Ma'an that the bomb was detonated remotely, and that helicopters were preparing to take the injured to Cairo hospitals.
A Ma'an reporter said that security forces had arrived at the scene, and had closed the entrances and exits of the city.
Israeli sources said that there were no Israeli tourists on board the bus at the time of the explosion.
The sources said that the huge blast was heard in the resort city of Eilat in southern Israel.
A spokesman for the Israeli ambulance services said that Israeli ambulances had headed to the border area following the blast to assist in evacuating the injured.
The Sinai peninsula has been wracked by rising instability and almost daily attacks since a July 3 coup by the Egyptian military which unseated then-president Mohammad Morsi.
The attacks have been claimed by Wahhabi militant groups, who have taken advantage of the lawlessness in the region to target government forces and civilian targets across Egypt.
Bomb on Egypt tourist bus near Israel border 'kills three'
An Egyptian security source told Ma'an that the bomb was detonated remotely, and that helicopters were preparing to take the injured to Cairo hospitals.
A Ma'an reporter said that security forces had arrived at the scene, and had closed the entrances and exits of the city.
Israeli sources said that there were no Israeli tourists on board the bus at the time of the explosion.
The sources said that the huge blast was heard in the resort city of Eilat in southern Israel.
A spokesman for the Israeli ambulance services said that Israeli ambulances had headed to the border area following the blast to assist in evacuating the injured.
The Sinai peninsula has been wracked by rising instability and almost daily attacks since a July 3 coup by the Egyptian military which unseated then-president Mohammad Morsi.
The attacks have been claimed by Wahhabi militant groups, who have taken advantage of the lawlessness in the region to target government forces and civilian targets across Egypt.
Bomb on Egypt tourist bus near Israel border 'kills three'
Sharm El Sheikh
A bomb tore through a bus carrying sightseers near an Egyptian resort town bordering Israel on Sunday, killing at least three tourists and wounding 14, police said.
The bus was carrying 33 tourists near the south Sinai resort town of Taba when it was hit by the blast, police officials said. A spokesman for the Israel Airports Authority, which is responsible for border security, told AFP that the Taba crossing had been closed in the wake of the blast.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The current unrest in Sinai Peninsula has severely hit tourism, a vital earner in Egypt, which has been targeted sporadically by militants over the past two decades.
A bomb tore through a bus carrying sightseers near an Egyptian resort town bordering Israel on Sunday, killing at least three tourists and wounding 14, police said.
The bus was carrying 33 tourists near the south Sinai resort town of Taba when it was hit by the blast, police officials said. A spokesman for the Israel Airports Authority, which is responsible for border security, told AFP that the Taba crossing had been closed in the wake of the blast.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The current unrest in Sinai Peninsula has severely hit tourism, a vital earner in Egypt, which has been targeted sporadically by militants over the past two decades.
15 feb 2014
Egyptian border forces destroyed 10 tunnels and seven homes in the Sinai on Saturday as part of new campaign to create a buffer zone along the border with the Gaza Strip that would extend 500 meters in some places.
The campaign began with a military operation in the border town of Rafah, where tunnels leading into the Gaza Strip were targeted in the neighborhoods of al-Brahma, al-Sarsuriya, Salahudeen, al-Helwat, and Zoraba, an Egyptian security source said.
The security source added that the tunnels were destroyed and the homes they were located in were subsequently blown up.
He explained that the move was part of a wider campaign to set up a buffer zone along the border with Gaza in Rafah that would extend 300 meters in populated areas and 500 meters in open areas.
The zone would potentially threaten dozens of homes in the city, which has been divided by the international border since the 1982 Camp David peace accord. Thousands were displaced in the early 2000s when Israel demolished homes to build a buffer zone on the Palestinian side.
The Egyptian security source also told Ma'an that Egyptian army forces on Saturday successfully foiled three explosive devices placed in military vehicles and armored cars in Sheikh Zuwaid, including two that were placed near the Sheikh Zuweid Hospital and a third on the road to a nearby village south of Sheikh Zuewid.
He added that army forces raided "militant strongholds" in the village of al-Kharuba south of Sheikh Zuweid and destroyed three homes and five "hideouts."
They also destroyed an olive grove that was reportedly used to hide militants following attacks taking place on the nearby road to Rafah International crossing.
Egyptian armed forces launched large scale military action against militants in the Sinai Peninsula earlier in September, in what officials described as the largest mobilization of force in the area since the 1973 war with Israel. The military action comes in the wake of rising instability and almost daily attacks in the region, following a July 3 coup by the Egyptian military which unseated President Mohammad Morsi.
Until July of this year, tunnels connecting Gaza to Egypt provided a vital lifeline for the territory amidst the otherwise crippling Israeli blockade. The blockade has been in place since 2006, and it has limited imports and exports and led to a major economic decline and wide-reaching humanitarian crisis.
Since the coup against Egyptian president Morsi in July, however, Egypt has strictly enforced the blockade and targeted the tunnels.
Egyptian Maj. Gen. Ahmad Ibrahim said in October that nearly 800 tunnels had been destroyed since the beginning of the year at that time, while Rafah officials estimated in September that these operations had demolished 95% of previously existing tunnels.
The campaign began with a military operation in the border town of Rafah, where tunnels leading into the Gaza Strip were targeted in the neighborhoods of al-Brahma, al-Sarsuriya, Salahudeen, al-Helwat, and Zoraba, an Egyptian security source said.
The security source added that the tunnels were destroyed and the homes they were located in were subsequently blown up.
He explained that the move was part of a wider campaign to set up a buffer zone along the border with Gaza in Rafah that would extend 300 meters in populated areas and 500 meters in open areas.
The zone would potentially threaten dozens of homes in the city, which has been divided by the international border since the 1982 Camp David peace accord. Thousands were displaced in the early 2000s when Israel demolished homes to build a buffer zone on the Palestinian side.
The Egyptian security source also told Ma'an that Egyptian army forces on Saturday successfully foiled three explosive devices placed in military vehicles and armored cars in Sheikh Zuwaid, including two that were placed near the Sheikh Zuweid Hospital and a third on the road to a nearby village south of Sheikh Zuewid.
He added that army forces raided "militant strongholds" in the village of al-Kharuba south of Sheikh Zuweid and destroyed three homes and five "hideouts."
They also destroyed an olive grove that was reportedly used to hide militants following attacks taking place on the nearby road to Rafah International crossing.
Egyptian armed forces launched large scale military action against militants in the Sinai Peninsula earlier in September, in what officials described as the largest mobilization of force in the area since the 1973 war with Israel. The military action comes in the wake of rising instability and almost daily attacks in the region, following a July 3 coup by the Egyptian military which unseated President Mohammad Morsi.
Until July of this year, tunnels connecting Gaza to Egypt provided a vital lifeline for the territory amidst the otherwise crippling Israeli blockade. The blockade has been in place since 2006, and it has limited imports and exports and led to a major economic decline and wide-reaching humanitarian crisis.
Since the coup against Egyptian president Morsi in July, however, Egypt has strictly enforced the blockade and targeted the tunnels.
Egyptian Maj. Gen. Ahmad Ibrahim said in October that nearly 800 tunnels had been destroyed since the beginning of the year at that time, while Rafah officials estimated in September that these operations had demolished 95% of previously existing tunnels.
8 feb 2014
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The Egyptian army demolished seven smuggling tunnels under the border with the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Egyptian border police sources told Ma'an.
The sources added that large quantities of clothes, pesticides, and other goods were found in a vacant house in Egypt's El-Arish, presumably to be smuggled into Gaza. Egypt's army, which ousted former president Mohamed Morsi in July, has destroyed dozens of tunnels used by Hamas to bring crucial supplies into the blockaded Strip. The tunnels have been a lifeline for the flow of food, clothing, building |
materials, and fuel into the impoverished Palestinian territory, which Israel has blockaded since 2006.
Egyptian officials said last September that more than 90 percent of the smuggling tunnels with Gaza had been destroyed.
Egyptian officials said last September that more than 90 percent of the smuggling tunnels with Gaza had been destroyed.
5 feb 2014
Egyptian authorities said Wednesday that security forces detained seven Palestinians who were allegedly caught in the Sinai after they crossed the borders illegally through smuggling tunnels.
Egyptian security sources told Ma’an in el-Arish in North Sinai that seven men aged 27-43 were arrested by traffic police in the Chalets area by the beach in el-Arish. They were taken for questioning in a military base in the city.
Separately, Egyptian police arrested a Palestinian who continued to live in Rafah in North Sinai after his Egyptian visa expired.
Egyptian armed forces launched large scale military action against militants in the Sinai in September, in what officials described as the largest mobilization of force in the area since the 1973 war with Israel.
The military action came in the wake of rising instability and almost daily attacks in the region, following the July 3 ouster of President Mohamed Morsi by the armed forces.
Part of the campaign has included targeting Palestinians in Egypt and tightening a hold on Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, a faction ideologically linked to Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood party.
Egyptian security sources told Ma’an in el-Arish in North Sinai that seven men aged 27-43 were arrested by traffic police in the Chalets area by the beach in el-Arish. They were taken for questioning in a military base in the city.
Separately, Egyptian police arrested a Palestinian who continued to live in Rafah in North Sinai after his Egyptian visa expired.
Egyptian armed forces launched large scale military action against militants in the Sinai in September, in what officials described as the largest mobilization of force in the area since the 1973 war with Israel.
The military action came in the wake of rising instability and almost daily attacks in the region, following the July 3 ouster of President Mohamed Morsi by the armed forces.
Part of the campaign has included targeting Palestinians in Egypt and tightening a hold on Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, a faction ideologically linked to Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood party.
4 feb 2014
A website set up by political analysts with close ties to Israeli intelligence has predicted that Israel’s support for Egyptian military coup mastermind General Abdal-Fattah al-Sisi will backfire. Noting the increase of rocket attacks on Israel from Sinai-based groups such as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, the Debkafile website implied that Israel was taking a huge risk in cooperating with Al-Sisi, who ousted the elected president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.
The southern Israeli city of Eliat has particularly been put in danger by instability in Sinai, the website reported.
The Egyptian army has been targeting pockets of anti-coup resistance since Morsi’s ouster.
The southern Israeli city of Eliat has particularly been put in danger by instability in Sinai, the website reported.
The Egyptian army has been targeting pockets of anti-coup resistance since Morsi’s ouster.
Gaza students have to read by candle light due to electricity cuts
An Egyptian power line feeding the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah Monday idled, said PR officer at Gaza Electricity Distribution Company Jamal Dardasawi. The idled line provides Rafah city with 10 MWs of electrical power out of a total paid supply of 25 MWs of electricity needed by the city, Dardasawi told Safa Press Agency.
He pointed out that the company had to make changes to the electricity distribution program in the city to be limited to six hours a day.
The company contacted the Egyptian authorities to get the line repaired, which responded that maintenance work is likely to begin on Tuesday.
The line supplying Rafah city was damaged while caterpillars of the Egyptian military were active on the border area, the local news agency reported.
The Gaza Strip has been reeling under a gripping electricity crisis since 2008, when Israel bombed the sole power plant in the coastal enclave.
Since then, the 1.7 million population has been suffering power cuts regularly lasting 12 to 16 hours each day.
An Egyptian power line feeding the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah Monday idled, said PR officer at Gaza Electricity Distribution Company Jamal Dardasawi. The idled line provides Rafah city with 10 MWs of electrical power out of a total paid supply of 25 MWs of electricity needed by the city, Dardasawi told Safa Press Agency.
He pointed out that the company had to make changes to the electricity distribution program in the city to be limited to six hours a day.
The company contacted the Egyptian authorities to get the line repaired, which responded that maintenance work is likely to begin on Tuesday.
The line supplying Rafah city was damaged while caterpillars of the Egyptian military were active on the border area, the local news agency reported.
The Gaza Strip has been reeling under a gripping electricity crisis since 2008, when Israel bombed the sole power plant in the coastal enclave.
Since then, the 1.7 million population has been suffering power cuts regularly lasting 12 to 16 hours each day.
1 feb 2014
Egyptian intelligence officials said Saturday that two Egyptians and four Palestinians were behind an attack that downed a military helicopter in north Sinai last week.
Officials said eyewitnesses told them the attack was carried out by a group of six who launched the missile from a poultry farm.
The missile used in the attack was a 9K38 Igla, a Russian-made man-portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile, they said, without providing further details.
The attack killed five soldiers near the town of Sheikh Zuwayed on Jan. 25. Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, an al-Qaeda-inspired militant group, took responsibility for the attack.
An Egyptian military statement initially said the helicopter crash was an "accident."
But an army source told Ma'an on Monday: "the army will response toughly to this qualitative development Takfiri groups have made."
During a campaign to crack down on militants in the northern Sinai Peninsula following the attack, the army said Monday that its soldiers had killed one militant and injured several others.
During the campaign, which started Sunday, Egyptian border guards discovered and demolished six smuggling tunnels under the borders between Rafah city in southern Gaza Strip and the Egyptian Rafah on the other side of the border.
Egyptian armed forces launched large scale military action against militants in the Sinai Peninsula in September, in what officials described as the largest mobilization of force in the area since the 1973 war with Israel.
The action comes in the wake of rising instability and almost daily attacks in the region since the ouster of president Muhammad Morsi, as groups conduct a campaign against state institutions and the military.
Officials said eyewitnesses told them the attack was carried out by a group of six who launched the missile from a poultry farm.
The missile used in the attack was a 9K38 Igla, a Russian-made man-portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile, they said, without providing further details.
The attack killed five soldiers near the town of Sheikh Zuwayed on Jan. 25. Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, an al-Qaeda-inspired militant group, took responsibility for the attack.
An Egyptian military statement initially said the helicopter crash was an "accident."
But an army source told Ma'an on Monday: "the army will response toughly to this qualitative development Takfiri groups have made."
During a campaign to crack down on militants in the northern Sinai Peninsula following the attack, the army said Monday that its soldiers had killed one militant and injured several others.
During the campaign, which started Sunday, Egyptian border guards discovered and demolished six smuggling tunnels under the borders between Rafah city in southern Gaza Strip and the Egyptian Rafah on the other side of the border.
Egyptian armed forces launched large scale military action against militants in the Sinai Peninsula in September, in what officials described as the largest mobilization of force in the area since the 1973 war with Israel.
The action comes in the wake of rising instability and almost daily attacks in the region since the ouster of president Muhammad Morsi, as groups conduct a campaign against state institutions and the military.
