The Sinai insurgency was an

insurgency An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare against a larger authority. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric warfare, asymmetric nature: small irregular forces ...

campaign in the

Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai ( ; ; ; ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is a land bridge between Asia and Afri ...

of Egypt launched by Islamist militants against Egyptian security forces, which also included attacks on civilians. The insurgency began during the

Egyptian Crisis ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years ...

, during which the longtime

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

ian president

Hosni Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011 and the 41st Prime Minister of Egypt, prime minister from 1981 to ...

was overthrown in the

2011 Egyptian revolution The 2011 Egyptian revolution, also known as the 25 January Revolution (;), began on 25 January 2011 and spread across Egypt. The date was set by various youth groups to coincide with the annual Egyptian "Police holiday" as a statement against ...

. The campaign initially consisted of militants, mainly local

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

tribesmen, who exploited the chaotic situation in Egypt to launch a series of attacks on government forces in Sinai. In 2014, members of the Ansar Bait al-Maqdis group pledged allegiance to the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...

(ISIL, or ISIS) and proclaimed themselves Sinai Province, with some security officials stating that militants based in Libya established ties with the Sinai Province group and blaming the porous border and ongoing civil war for the increase in sophisticated weapons available to the Islamist groups. Egyptian authorities attempted to restore their presence in the Sinai through both political and military measures. The country launched two military operations, known as Operation Eagle in mid-2011 and Operation Sinai in mid-2012. In May 2013, after the abduction of Egyptian officers, violence in Sinai resurged. Following the overthrow in July 2013 of Egyptian president

Mohamed Morsi Mohamed Mohamed Morsi Eissa Al-AyyatThe spellings of his first and last names vary. survey of 14 news organizations plus Wikipedia in July 2012 Hundreds of homes were demolished and thousands of residents were evacuated as Egyptian troops built a buffer zone to halt the smuggling of weapons and militants to and from the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

. A report compiled by a delegation from the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) stated that the displaced families were suffering due to government negligence, unavailability of nearby schools, and a lack of health services. From the start of the conflict, dozens of civilians were killed, either in military operations or kidnapped, and then beheaded by militants. In November 2017, more than 300 Sufist worshippers were killed and over 100 injured in a terrorist attack on a mosque west of the city of Al-Arish.

Background

The Sinai Peninsula has long been known for its lawlessness. Historically, it has served as a route for the smuggling of weapons and supplies. Security provisions in the

Egypt–Israel peace treaty The Egypt–Israel peace treaty was signed in Washington, D.C., United States, on 26 March 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords. The Egypt–Israel treaty was signed by Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, and Menachem Begin, Prime Minist ...

of 1979 mandated a diminished security presence in the area, enabling militants to operate with a freer hand. Moreover, the inhabitants of the Sinai Peninsula have expressed grievances regarding their economic marginalization for several decades. This sentiment is exacerbated by perceived injustices, particularly concerning the inequitable distribution of revenues from the tourism sector. The seaside resorts of South Sinai currently represent the peninsula's sole economic assets. However, according to various accounts, the local population derives minimal benefit from this economic activity, as the central authorities in Cairo reportedly reserve land acquisition and employment opportunities for migrants from the Nile Delta. Also, the limited government-directed investment and development in Sinai has discriminated against the local Bedouin population, which values tribal allegiance over all else. The combination of Sinai's harsh terrain and its lack of resources have kept the area poor and ripe for militancy. Following the January 2011 uprising that toppled

's regime, the country became increasingly destabilized, creating a security vacuum in the Sinai Peninsula. Radical Islamic elements in Sinai exploited the opportunity to launch several waves of attacks against Egyptian military and commercial facilities. According to ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

'', the conflict also involves local armed Bedouins "who have long-standing grievances against the central government in Cairo" and that "they are barred from joining the army or police; they find it hard to get jobs in tourism; and they complain that many of their lands have been taken from them".

Timeline

2011–2012

Since the 2011 uprising against the Mubarak regime in Egypt, there has been increasing instability in the Sinai Peninsula. In addition, the collapse of the Libyan regime increased the quantity and sophistication of weapons being smuggled into the area. The situation provided local Bedouin with an opportunity to assert their authority, leading to clashes with Egyptian security forces, but the cause of violence soon transitioned to salafi jihadism. Hard-line militant Muslims used Sinai as a launch-point for attacks against Israel and turned on the Egyptian state, focusing on Egypt's security establishment and the Sinai's

Arab Gas Pipeline The Arab Gas Pipeline is a natural gas pipeline in the Middle East. It originates near Arish in the Sinai Peninsula and was built to export Egyptian natural gas to Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, with branch underwater and overland pipelines to and ...

Operation Eagle

In August 2011, Egypt launched Operation Eagle in an effort to restore law and order, driving Islamist insurgents and criminal gangs out of North Sinai's urban centers, and to attempt to sever the link between militant groups in the Sinai and Gaza by augmenting its control over the Gaza border crossing. The operation had limited success, and a week into the operation, Salafi jihadists carried out the biggest cross-border attack on Israel in the post-Mubarak period.

Operation Sinai

On 5 August 2012, an attack on the Rafah barracks shook the Egyptian military and population. Only a month into his term, President

Mohamed Morsi Mohamed Mohamed Morsi Eissa Al-AyyatThe spellings of his first and last names vary. survey of 14 news organizations plus Wikipedia in July 2012 During the operation, 32 militants and suspects were killed and 38 arrested, while 2 civilians were killed by early September 2012.

2013–2014

Since the July 2013 coup against President

Mohamed Morsi Mohamed Mohamed Morsi Eissa Al-AyyatThe spellings of his first and last names vary. survey of 14 news organizations plus Wikipedia in July 2012 Over the few months leading to 2014, the Egyptian army gained the upper hand in the battle against militias that had found safe haven in the peninsula. After isolating and largely clearing the populated northeastern Sinai, the army put many militant factions on the defensive, most notably Ansar Bait al-Maqdis. However, one thousand armed militiamen were still sheltering in the main stronghold in Jabal Halal, as well as Jabal Amer area. In November 2014, the situation in the Sinai was thrust into the spotlight with the deadliest attack on the security forces since 2011, and the group responsible Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis pledging allegiance to the

(ISIL) forming the Sinai Province. In the wake of the attack on the security forces, the government declared state of emergency, imposing a curfew and establish a buffer zone in the Sinai's border area with Gaza.

May

=May 2013 hostage crisis

= In May 2013, a number of Egyptian Army police officers were taken hostage by armed tribesmen in the Sinai Peninsula, with videos released on the internet with them begging for their lives. As a response, Egypt's government built up security forces in northern Sinai as part of an effort to secure the release of six policemen and a border guard kidnapped by suspected militants. On 20–21 May, Egyptian troops and police, backed by helicopter gunships, conducted a sweep through a number of villages in northern Sinai, along the border with Israel. The officials said the forces came under fire from gunmen in vehicles, triggering the clashes. The clashes left one gunman dead by 21 May. The hostages were released on 22 May after talks between the captors and Bedouins. One suspect in the kidnapping was arrested on 30 May 2013.

July

=July 2013 escalation following Morsi ousting

= After Morsi's ouster on 3 July by Sisi, there was an increase in violence by armed Bedouin and Islamists. Attacks on security forces took place almost daily — leading many to link the militants there to the

Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ('' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar, Imam and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928. Al-Banna's teachings s ...

, the Islamist group from which Morsi hails. In response, Egypt launched a major military operation in Sinai against the militants, bringing in two additional battalions. In the two weeks following 3 July, 39 terrorist attacks occurred in North Sinai. In the resulting clashes between armed groups and security forces, 52 gunmen and civilians and six security personnel died. On 15 July, a bus transporting workers to the army-operated Al-Arish Cement Company was attacked leaving five killed and 15 wounded, the highest civilian casualties. On 16 July, attacks resulted in some of the most intense army engagement, concentrated at Al-Masa'id, Al-Joura, and the Central Security camp at Al-Ahrash. Security operations have been largely confined to the 40-kilometre area between Al-Arish and Sheikh Zuweid, extending northward toward Rafah along the border with Israel and up to the Karen Abu Salem crossing. Fighting intensified between the gunmen and the joint army-police forces at night. The frequency of attacks varied from two to five in a single day. In addition, targets expanded from fixed security checkpoints to mobile patrols. In most operations, the gunmen used four-wheel drive vehicles and combinations of light and heavy weaponry. However, in three attacks RPG-7 launchers were used, most likely smuggled from Libya. These grenades are capable of penetrating armoured vehicles and are generally fired at the doors. A bomb was placed at a hotel frequented by security officials on 2 August 2013, though it caused no injuries. A security source told the Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm that a majority of "terrorists" had been arrested as of 3 August 2013. 2 mausoleums were bombed on 4 August 2013, though no injuries resulted. Twenty-five Egyptian policemen died in an attack in the northern region of Sinai, on 18 August. After militants forced two mini-buses carrying off-duty policemen to stop, ordered the policemen out and forced them to lie on the ground before shooting them. The Egyptian military arrested eleven people, including five Hamas members, three local residents and three foreign nationals, for their alleged involvement in the killings. The person who committed the murders confessed on 1 September 2013. Military spokesperson Ahmed Ali said that Egyptian security forces operations in Sinai, from 5 July to 23 August, resulted in 78 suspected militants killed, including 32 foreigners; 116 people injured; and 203 people arrested, including 48 foreigners, for their alleged involvement in attacks on security checkpoints in the peninsula. Additionally 343 tunnels on the border with Gaza at Rafah were destroyed. However, the Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels were mostly used by civilians and militants in the

to break the

blockade of the Gaza Strip The restrictions on movement and goods in Gaza imposed by Israel date to the early 1990s. After Hamas took over in 2007, Israel significantly intensified existing movement restrictions and imposed a complete blockade on the movement of good ...

. The groups connected to the Sinai insurgency were mostly opposed by the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip.

September

On 3 September, fifteen Islamist militants were killed in an attack by military helicopters. On 7 September, the Egyptian army launched a new operation in the region involving tanks and at least six Apache helicopters. The army jammed communications to thwart militant coordination. The army combed through areas near the Gaza Strip, including locations used by militants suspected in the killing and abduction of Egyptian soldiers over the past year. In the three days of operations, after 7 September, one officer, two soldiers and 29 militants were killed, and 39 militants arrested. On 11 September, a suicide bomber targeted Egyptian military intelligence headquarters in Rafah, bringing down the structure, at the same time a car bomb had rammed an army checkpoint. In the simultaneous attack at least nine soldiers were killed.

December

On 24 December 16 were killed and over 134 injured in a huge bomb which hit the Daqahliya Security Directorate in

Mansoura Mansoura (; ', , rural: ) is a city in Egypt located on the eastern bank of the Damietta branch of the Nile river. The city is the capital of the Dakahlia Governorate and has a population of 621,953 as of 2021. Etymology ''Mansoura'' in Arabic ...

, in the worst attack on a government site since the ouster of Morsi in July. Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, a Sinai-based group, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group deemed Egyptian troops infidels because they answer to a "secular government", warning them to desert or face death.

January

2014 helicopter downing

On 26 January, militants shot down an army Mi-17 helicopter in North Sinai, killing all five of its crew members. The weapon the insurgents used was an infrared-homing, surface-to-air missile from the Russian-made Igla family. This was the first time in Egyptian history that an armed nonstate actor dropped a state's military helicopter by a missile. Ansar Bait al-Maqdis claimed responsibility for this attack as well as series of escalating attacks on police and soldiers. Earlier that morning masked men in an SUV attacked a bus carrying soldiers in Sinai, killing at least three and injuring at least 11.

February

On 3 February, in what was described as the biggest operation in the Egyptian army's ongoing offensive against militants in the Sinai, 30 suspected militants were killed and another 15 injured in a series of airstrikes and another 16 were arrested.

=2014 Taba bus bombing

= On 16 February 2014, a bomb exploded on or under a tour bus of a South Korean church group in the Egyptian city of Taba, which borders the

Gulf of Aqaba The Gulf of Aqaba () or Gulf of Eilat () is a large gulf at the northern tip of the Red Sea, east of the Sinai Peninsula and west of the Arabian Peninsula. Its coastline is divided among four countries: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. ...

and Eilat, Israel. The bombing killed 4 people – 3 South Koreans and the Egyptian bus driver – and injured 17 others. According to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', the bombing could "offer worrying new evidence that militants who have been attacking Egypt's security forces for months were broadening their campaign against civilians."

October

=October 2014 Sinai attacks

= On 24 October 2014, 33 army and police soldiers were killed in two separate attacks in North Sinai. The attack was the largest ever since the start of the war on terror in Sinai. As a result of the attack, president

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil El-Sisi (born 19 November 1954) is an Egyptian politician and retired military officer who has been serving as the sixth and current president of Egypt since 2014. After the 2011 Egyptian revolution and 201 ...

declared a state of emergency in the governorate after meeting with the National Defence Council for several hours. The state of emergency was to last for three months and to include a daily curfew from 5pm to 7am until further notice.

November

On 10 November 2014, Ansar Bait al-Maqdis pledged allegiance to the

(ISIL) forming the Sinai Province group with a confusingly similar name to two Egyptian regional governments. On 14 November 2014, ISIL published a video online that included footage of the group carrying out the October 2014 Sinai attacks.

2015

During 2015, the intensity and the scale of insurgent attacks expanded.

January

On 12 January 2015, Sinai Province kidnapped a police officer while traveling in North Sinai and took him to an unknown location. On the following day on 13 January 2015, Egyptian military spokesperson announced the discovery of the dead body of the officer after launching a search operation. He also said that during the operation 10 militants were killed, while two others were arrested. On 26 January 2015, Sinai Province published a video online that included the kidnapping and execution of the police officer kidnapped on 12 January.

=January 2015 Sinai attacks

= On 29 January 2015, militants from the Sinai Province militant group launched a series of attacks on army and police bases in

Arish ʻArish or el-ʻArīsh ( ' ) is the capital and largest city of the North Sinai Governorate of Egypt, as well as the largest city on the Sinai Peninsula, lying on the Mediterranean coast northeast of Cairo and west of the Egypt–Gaza border ...

using car bombs and mortars. The attacks, which occurred in more than six different locations, resulted in 44 confirmed deaths including army personnel and civilians.

Security response

It was reported that on 6 February 2015 Egyptian security forces attacked the Sinai Province group, killing 47 Islamic militants in Northern Sinai.

March

On 10 March 2015, a suicide attack on a police barracks using a water tanker was stopped after security forces opened fire on the water tanker causing it to explode before it could get into the barracks. One civilian near the scene was killed and two other civilians alongside 30 policemen were wounded in the blast.

April

On 2 April 2015, an attack on an army checkpoint resulted in the death of 15 soldiers, 2 civilians and 15 attackers. As a response to the attack, the Egyptian army launched an operation the following day allegedly killing 100 militants. On 8 April 2015, eleven civilians were killed in Sheikh Zuweid when an unidentified rocket-propelled grenade hit their homes. A roadside bomb killed two officers in the same city. On 12 April 2015, 6 soldiers were killed when their armoured vehicle was bombed in North Sinai. On the same day, a separate attack on a police station in Arish resulted in the death of 5 policemen and 1 civilian. 40 were also injured, both policemen and civilians. The attack on the station was carried out by a suicide-bomber using a bomb-laden van, on which the police forces opened fire, causing a large explosion which reportedly created a large crater and shattered house windows near the police station. Militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis has claimed responsibility for the attacks. On 27 April 2015, members from Al-Tarabin tribe in North Sinai launched an attack on Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis positions in Rafah. The attack came after Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis gunmen fatally shot a member of Al-Tarabin tribe in Berth village in southern Rafah, North Sinai, after he refused to take their warning statements ordering them not to deal with the Egyptian military.

May

On 16 May 2015, three Egyptian judges and their driver were killed, and a fourth judge was severely wounded when gunmen opened fire on their vehicle in North Sinai. The attack came hours after a Cairo court issued a preliminary death sentence against former president Mohamed Morsi and 105 other defendants on a range of charges, including murder.

June

On 9 June 2015, militants fired rockets at the direction of an airport in Sinai used by the multinational peacekeeping forces. There were no casualties reported.

ISIL The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signif ...

affiliate Sinai Province claimed responsibility for the attack on several Twitter accounts linked to it.

July

=July 2015 Sinai attacks

= On 1 July 2015,

Sinai Province militants launched one of the largest-scale battles seen in the Sinai Peninsula since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and the largest attack since the insurgency begun in 2011, on multiple

Egyptian army The Egyptian Army (), officially the Egyptian Ground Forces (), is the land warfare branch (and largest service branch) of the Egyptian Armed Forces. Until the declaration of the Republic and the abolishment of the monarchy on 18 June 1953, it w ...

checkpoints in the

, killing 21 soldiers and wounding 9. However, unknown Egyptian security and medical officials reported that up to 64 soldiers had been killed in the attacks. The attack also targeted Sheikh Zuweid police station. Reinforcements from the Second Army Zone stationed in Ismailia have been deployed to Sheikh Zuweid, including Apache helicopters and

F-16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it e ...

fighter jets. Militants have reportedly killed several civilians who refused to allow them onto their rooftops to target security forces. An army statement claimed the killing of more than 100 militants from the attacking force. The militant death toll increased in the following days, due to Egyptian military operations in the region, reaching 241 killed. On 4 July 2015, a shell bomb struck a house in Sheikh Zuweid, killing a woman and her two children, the shell also seriously wounded another woman and a teenage girl. On the same day, a roadside bomb targeting army and police vehicles killed a five-year-old child in

Rafah Rafah ( ) is a city in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine, and the capital of the Rafah Governorate. It is located south-west of Gaza City. In 2017, Rafah had a population of 171,889. Due to the Gaza war, about 1.4 million people from Gaza C ...

town that borders the Palestinian

. Three other children and a woman were also wounded in the blast. On 15 July 2015, twenty militants were killed as security forces repelled an attack on a security checkpoint in North Sinai. On 23 July 2015, an officer and three soldiers were killed and three others were wounded when an improvised roadside bomb hit their armoured vehicle in a village near the town of Rafah. On 24 July 2015, the Egyptian army said it has killed 12 terrorists and destroyed two warehouses storing explosive materials. On 31 July 2015, the Egyptian military bombed areas of the North Sinai towns of al-Arish and Sheikh Zuweid, killing 20 suspected militants.

August

On 1 August 2015, Egyptian army forces surrounded the home of a leading figure of the Sinai-based militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, in the town of Sheikh Zuweid, before shooting him dead.

September

On 3 September 2015, four American and two Fijian Multinational Force and Observers troops were wounded in an attack involving two IEDs.

=Operation Martyr's Right

= On 8 September 2015, the Egyptian military launched a major operation code-named "The Martyr's Right". The operation is the largest and most comprehensive operation aimed at rooting out and killing terrorists since July's immediate response to militant attacks. The operation targeted sites in Rafah, Arish, and Sheikh Zuweid, all towns in the northern areas of the peninsula. 535 militants were killed in September 2015. On 13 September 2015, a Fijian soldier attached to the Multinational Force and Observers was wounded by small arms fire.

October

=Downing of Russian passenger plane

Flowers for Metrojet flight 9268 victims

On 31 October 2015, a Russian passenger jet disintegrated above the northern Sinai, killing all 224 aboard. The Islamic State's Sinai Province claimed responsibility for the incident. Russian, Egyptian, and western investigators concluded that the plane was brought down by a bomb planted at Sharm Al Sheikh Airport. It was the deadliest air disaster both in the history of Russian aviation and within Egyptian territory at the time.

2016

Insurgent attacks increased in early 2016, nearly doubling between the last quarter of 2015 and the second quarter of 2016. However, according to ''

The Times of Israel ''The Times of Israel'' (ToI) is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012 and has since become the largest English-language Jewish and Israeli news source by audience size. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist Dav ...

'', the numbers of attacks and casualties was declining by August 2016.

March

On 19 March, an attack on a checkpoint in

killed 13 policemen.

April

Another attack on 7 April killed 15 soldiers and two civilians.

May

In May, Egyptian security forces launched an air attack on Jabal Halal, a region with an extensive cave system that was a major insurgent stronghold. According to the Egyptian military, 88 militants were killed and many supply caches were destroyed.

June

On 28 June, A series of air strikes killed 30 ISIS fighters and injured 50 others.

August

Then, on 4 August, the army claimed to have killed the leader of Sinai Province, Abu Duaa al-Ansari. Independent sources were unable to verify this claim, or even the existence of al-Ansari. Previous reports had described Abu Osama al-Masri as the leader.

October

On 14 October a total 12 soldiers and 15 militants were killed. On 17 October several clashes in North Sinai left 3 soldiers and 18 insurgents dead. On 30 October a military operation in North Sinai left 4 soldiers and 6 insurgents dead.

November

On 5 November Egyptian soldiers killed at least 11 terrorists. On 10 November army soldiers killed at least 6 insurgents.

2017

January

On 9 January 2017, an attack by several gunmen and a truck bomb on a police checkpoint in El-Arish causing at least 13 deaths and 22 injuries, according to official sources. One of the attackers, drove a stolen rubbish truck loaded with explosive at the security checkpoint, as gunmen opened fire on police forces.

April

=Palm Sunday church bombings

= In February 2017, ISIS produced a video calling for attacks against Christians. In April, ISIS attacked several churches in Egypt Known as Palm Sunday church bombings. The attacks killed over 363 people.

July

In July, a militant raid on an army checkpoint resulted in the deaths of at least 23 soldiers. The checkpoint was looted for weapons and ammunition before the attackers fled the scene. Later that month an attack targeting

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

killed 5 officers and wounded 11 in the city of el-Arish. A later

roadside bomb An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional warfare, conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached t ...

south of the city wounded a further 6 officers. The attacks came the same day officials claimed the

Egyptian Air Force The Egyptian Air Force (EAF) () is the aviation branch of the Egyptian Armed Forces that is responsible for all airborne defence missions and operates all military aircraft, including those used in support of the Egyptian Army, Egyptian Navy ...

had killed at least 30 militants in strikes on a gathering.

September

In September, officers were again attacked in el-Arish, with 18 killed and 7 wounded in an assault involving roadside bombs and small arms fire.

November

=Sinai mosque attack

= On 24 November 2017, the

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

al-Rawda mosque in the town of Bir al-Abed, North Sinai Governorate,

was attacked by around forty gunmen during Friday prayers. The gun and bomb attack killed at least 311 people and injured more than 128, making it the deadliest terrorist attack in Egyptian history and the second deadliest attack in 2017, after the 14 October 2017 Mogadishu bombings. Other reports of the attack assert that over 300 deaths occurred.

December

On 19 December 2017, El Arish International Airport was attacked in an attempt to assassinate the Minister of Interior Magdi Abdel-Ghaffar and the minister of defense Sedki Sobhy. The assassination attempt failed and one officer was killed and two were injured. ISIS used kornet anti-tank missile in the attack. The next day, a new clash started near the airport where five ISIS militants were killed and an army captain was killed.

2018

On 9 February 2018, Col. Tamer el-Refai, the military's spokesman, announced in a statement on state-run television, titled "Communique 1 from the General Command of the Armed Forces", the launching of Comprehensive Operation – Sinai 2018. On 8 October 2018, Egyptian military declared in an operation they have killed 52 Islamist militants. Three Egyptian soldiers were also killed.

2019

In May 2019,

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

reported that throughout the operations in Sinai the "Egyptian military and police have carried out systematic and widespread arbitrary arrests—including of children—enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings, collective punishment, and forced evictions", based on interviews with dozens of Sinai residents. In November 2019, Egyptian forces killed 83 suspected fighters in operations in central and North Sinai.

2020

From 2018 to 2020, 840 militants were killed by Egyptian Security Forces who lost 67 soldiers in return. In March 2020, Egyptian forces managed to kill Abu Fares Al-Ansari, a commander of Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, in Al Ajra' area south of

. On 1 May 2020, ISIL claimed responsibility via its

Amaq News Agency Amaq News Agency () is a news outlet linked to the Islamic State (IS). Amaq is often the "first point of publication for claims of responsibility" for terrorist attacks in Western countries by the Islamic State. In March 2019, Amaq News Agency w ...

for a bombing that killed and wounded several Egyptian Army personnel near the city of Bir al-Abd in North Sinai Governorate. In retaliation, Egyptian police managed to kill 18 extremist militants in a raid in northern Sinai Peninsula. On 21 July 2020, ISIS captured five villages in Sinai west of Bir al-Abd. On 26–28 August 2020, Egypt retook the fives villages and killed 73 ISIS operatives.

2021

On 1 January 2021, a roadside bomb killed two members of Egypt's security forces and wounded five others near Bir al-Abd in the northern Sinai Peninsula. On 9 February 2021, local sources reported that six fighters of the tribal militias supporting the Egyptian regime had been killed and another fighter had been abducted in central Sinai in an ISIS ambush. On 22 February 2021, ISIS operatives fired at an Egyptian army patrol south of Sheikh Zuweid, near a roadblock. One soldier was killed and two others were wounded. On 27 February 2021, IS operatives exploded an IED targeting an Egyptian foot patrol. The explosion killed 3 Egyptian soldiers including a colonel, Ahmad Abdel Mohsen. One other soldier was also wounded. On 11 March 2021, IS claimed responsibility for killing a father and his son because they were 'collaborating' with Egyptian authorities. In March 2021,

accused the Egyptian armed forces of violating international human rights law and committing war crimes by demolishing more than 12,300 residential and commercial buildings and 6,000 hectares of farmland since 2013 in North Sinai. On 22 March 2021, The Egyptian forces managed to eliminate Saleem Al-Hamadiin, a veteran commander of ISIS, in a joint operation with the local tribes in the village of Al-Barth, south of Rafah. On 5 April 2021, ISIL released photos showing the execution of an alleged spy, who was apparently working for the Egyptian authorities. On 17 April, ISIS released footage of them executing a Coptic Christian and 2 other tribal fighters. They issued the execution footage as a 'warning to the Christians of Egypt'. In the same release, they also released videos of sniping and IED attacks and an attack on Egyptian tribal forces, leaving at least 4 tribesmen dead. On 1 May, ISIS operatives broke into houses in Al-Amal, south of Al-Arish, searching for suspected collaborators with the Egyptian army. Being unable to find them, they executed three of their relatives On 30 May, Colonel Khaled Al-Arian was killed by an ISIS sniper attack on an Egyptian army patrol in Sheikh Zuweid, in northern Sinai. IS also released photos of them executing two alleged 'collaborators', supposedly working with the Egyptian army. On 4 June, an Egyptian officer was killed in Sinai: Ahmad Jum'ah, an intelligence officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel, was killed in the detonation of an IED in northern Sinai. The attack was blamed on ISIS. On 14 June, a group of ISIS militants including a commander were killed during an Egyptian army raid on a farm in Bir al-Abd. On 31 July, ISIS militants ambushed a group of Egyptian soldiers at their security checkpoint in Sheikh Zuweid, northern Sinai. 5 Egyptian soldiers were killed and 6 more were wounded. 3 ISIS militants were also killed in the shootout. On 1 August, it was reported that 89 extremists were killed in northern Sinai, compared to eight Egyptian soldiers. Meanwhile, 13 tunnel entrances were destroyed at the borders with the Gaza Strip and Israel. On 9 August, an ISIS IED was activated south of Rafah against an Egyptian army vehicle killing Mohammad Abd Motagalli, an Egyptian army colonel. On 12 August, the Egyptian armed forces eliminated 13 terrorists in northern and central Sinai. 9 soldiers were killed and wounded during the exchange of fire. On 25 August 2 Egyptian soldiers were killed by ISIL snipers whilst conducting operations in northern Sinai.

2022

On 8 May 2022, ten soldiers and one officer are killed during an attack at a checkpoint at a water pumping station in El Qantara, On 18 November, dozens of IS fighters clashed with the Egyptian army on a government building in Al-Ismailia, which resulted in the killing and wounding of 6 members of the Egyptian army and an airstrike on IS fighters. On 1 December, IS soldiers killed and wounded 6 members of the Egyptian police in Al-Ismailia governorate. On 31 December, two gunmen killed and wounded 15 members of the Egyptian police in Al-Ismailia governorate.

2023

On 25 January 2023, Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi claimed the end of terrorism in the North Sinai governorate.

Aftermath (2023–present)

On 29 January 2023, three children were killed by the explosion of a leftover mine. On 27 February 2023, unknown gunmen attacked, killed, and wounded three members of the Egyptian army in South Sinai. On 2 June 2023, a soldier of the Egyptian Central Security Forces crossed over the Egypt–Israel border into Israeli territory, shooting three Israeli soldiers dead and injuring two others, before he was killed in a shootout with the IDF. On 30 July, one Egyptian police colonel and two police officers were killed in North Sinai. On 31 July, at least four police officers were killed and 22 injured in clashes inside the police compound in Arish. On 17 September, seven Egyptian army soldiers, including two majors and a lieutenant colonel, were killed in an IED explosion in Northern Sinai. On 16 January 2024, around twenty Egyptian armed men stormed into Israel and started clashing with IDF soldiers. According to the Egyptian army, it was an attempt to smuggle drugs, and they foiled it. The IDF said that one IDF soldier was injured.

Areas of insurgency

According to Reuters, as of 2013, Ansar Bait al-Maqdis was in control of about a third of the villages in Sinai. Now, daily clashes with militants in North Sinai are reported by the army. The insurgency has not spread to south Sinai, where there are tourist hubs. In the northeastern part of the peninsula, checkpoints have often been established by militants as the army lack the power to stop them. The militants have captured and assassinated policemen there.

Spillover into mainland Egypt

On 24 December 2013, sixteen people were killed and over a hundred people injured in a huge bomb which hit the Daqahliya Security Directorate in

. Ansar Bait al-Maqdis claimed responsibility for the attack. On 5 August 2014, 5 policemen were killed in an attack on a police car on Matrouh road by armed militants. On 28 November 2014, the militant group Sinai Province claimed responsibility for the killing of 2 army personnel in Cairo and Qaliubiya. On 1 December 2014, Sinai Province claimed responsibility for killing a United States citizen in Egypt's western desert in August 2014. On 21 December 2014, the Egyptian police raided an Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis cell in the Nile Delta killing 5 members. On 26 December 2014, two Ansar Bait al-Maqdis militants were killed in a gunfight in El-Salam City, on the eastern outskirts of Cairo. The Ministry of Interior later identified one of the dead militants as the commander of Ansar Beit El-Maqdis in the Nile Delta.

Gaza Strip spillover

With each escalation in the Palestinian enclave, Egyptian authorities are apprehensive about the potential ''spillover'' effects onto their territory; the incursion of thousands of Gazans into North Sinai in 2008 in response to the blockade imposed by Israel exemplifies this phenomenon. On top of this, a sprawling network of tunnels between the Gaza Strip and the north of Sinai has been developing since 2006, generating a veritable ‘tunnel economy’. Consequently, the imperative to for the Egyptian authorities to maintain control over the Sinai necessitates finding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, whether in the short or long term. The security-oriented bias of Egyptian authorities towards the Palestinian issue is evident in the context of mediating between the Gaza Strip and Israel, particularly since 2013. From the outset of his tenure, Marshal Al-Sissi has focused on the "reconquest" of the Egyptian peninsula, waging a war against terrorism in which Hamas is involved. While Sinai was often described as 'the backyard of the volatile Gaza Strip, this dynamic is now being reversed'. In 2011, a few months after the overthrow of Mubarak, Hamas is even said to have moved some of its bases and ammunition stockpiles to North Sinai, where 'they would be less vulnerable to Israeli air strikes'. Whether or not these allegations are true, they were repeated and amplified in the Egyptian press during the anti-Morsi campaign in spring 2013. As political developments unfolded in Cairo, Gaza's leaders were no longer simply presented as disruptive elements, using Sinai as a refuge in their fight against Israel, but as real fighters engaged against the Egyptian state, in attacks targeting the security forces. Following a period of intense repression of the Islamist party by the Egyptian military regime, notably through the near-systematic closure of the Rafah border crossing between 2013 and 2017, a modus vivendi was eventually established between the two parties. Hamas demonstrates cooperation with Egyptian authorities by rigorously controlling the entry and exit points of the Gaza Strip, in exchange for relaxed mobility conditions for Palestinians. This arrangement implies that Egyptian officials negotiate directly with the political and security leadership of Hamas, particularly those based in the Gaza Strip, unlike Israeli and U.S. administrations. In 2015, Hamas had intensified its clandestine military cooperation with the Islamic State's so-called "Sinai Province." This collaboration reached a significant milestone in December with a prolonged secret visit to Gaza by IS Sinai's military chief, Shadi al-Menai. During his visit, al-Menai engaged in discussions with his counterparts in Hamas's military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (IDQB). Al-Menai has been one of Egypt's most wanted figures since a failed assassination attempt in May 2014. From 2013 anwards, IS Sinai had facilitated the movement of weapons from Iran and Libya through the Sinai Peninsula on behalf of Hamas, receiving a substantial share of each shipment in return. Hamas relies on Bedouin guides to evade detection by the Egyptian army and access the few remaining tunnels that have survived Cairo's aggressive flooding and closure campaign. Through this arrangement, IS Sinai has acquired advanced weaponry, including Kornet antitank missiles, which have been used to sink an Egyptian patrol boat off the coast of al-Arish and destroy several tanks and armored carriers stationed in the northeastern sector of the peninsula. Additionally, Hamas has provided training to some IS Sinai fighters and assisted with the group's media campaign and online postings. Egyptian intelligence agencies, including the General Intelligence Directorate and military intelligence officials, are convinced that Hamas is engaged in a sustained effort to undermine government control over the Sinai, despite publicly seeking a rapprochement with Cairo. This shift in Hamas's strategy occurred after the Muslim Brotherhood was ousted from the Egyptian government in 2013 and Egypt instituted its blockade of Gaza, prompting Hamas to support major terrorist organizations operating in the peninsula. Out of the approximately 15 main militant groups operating in the Sinai desert, the most dominant and active militant groups formerly had close relations with the

. The Army of Islam, a U.S. designated

terrorist organization Several national governments and two international organizations have created lists of organizations that they designate as terrorist. The following list of designated terrorist groups lists groups designated as terrorist by current and former ...

based in the Gaza Strip, is responsible for training and supplying many militant organizations and jihadist members in Sinai. Mohammed Dormosh, the Army of Islam's leader, was known for his close relationships to the

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

leadership. According to

Ynet Ynet (stylized in all lowercase) is an Israeli news and general-content website, and the online outlet for the '' Yedioth Ahronoth'' newspaper. History Ynet launched on June 6, 2000, in Hebrew, following other Hebrew outlet's website launches ...

, the Army of Islam has been known to smuggle members into the Gaza Strip for training, then returns them to the Sinai Peninsula to engage in terrorist and jihadist activities. Since 2007, Hamas and the Army of Islam have shifted to being adversaries, with the latter now considering Hamas an "apostate" organization. Probably in an attempt to forge closer ties with the Egyptian government, Hamas began a propaganda campaign to combat extremist ideologies in the Gaza Stripin April 2015. At the time, they denied it was targeted at IS or any other specific group. Mosques in the strip preached to promote a "centrist ideology".

The Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is an English language, English-language Israeli broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1932 during the Mandate for Palestine, British Mandate of Mandatory Palestine, Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''Th ...

speculated that this was in response to the ISIS attack on the Yarmouk, the

Palestinian refugee camp Palestinian refugee camps were first established to accommodate Palestinians who were displaced by the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight during the 1948 Palestine war. Camps were established by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UN ...

in Syria. In July 2015, ISIS started threatening Hamas. Israeli Major General Yoav "Polly" Mordechai accused Gaza of helping ISIS by providing medical care to people wounded in the Sinai conflict.

accused Hamas of assisting ISIS in the Sinai, but in public the two groups had a violently hostile relationship ( see below). In 2017, an IS suicide bomber at

Rafah Border Crossing The Rafah Border Crossing () or Rafah Crossing Point is the sole crossing point between Egypt and Palestine's Gaza Strip. The Rafah crossing was opened by Israel after the Egypt–Israel peace treaty, 1979 peace treaty and remained under Isra ...

killed a Hamas government

border guard A border guard of a country is a national security agency that ensures border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard (as in Germany, Italy or Ukraine) and rescue service duties. Name and uniform In diff ...

(Nidal al-Jaafari, 28) and injured several others. Before anyone had claimed responsibility, Hamas described the bomber as an outlaw and "a person of deviant ideology" who did not, their terminology for Islamic extremists. Hamas arrested dozens of

Salafi The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a fundamentalist revival movement within Sunni Islam, originating in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. The name "''Salafiyya''" is a self-designation, claiming a retu ...

militants in the Gaza Strip. In 2018, Palestinians from the Gaza Strip who had joined ISIS Sinai Province, captured and killed a man who they claimed was connected to the Qassam Brigades. The killers made a video of the murder and released it as a "declaration of war" against Hamas. The speaker in the video is referred to as Abu Kazem al-Maqdisi. Then in 2019, another suicide attack – also attributed to ISIS – directly targeted Gaza Strip police. Three police officers were killed, all three victims were allegedly members of Hamas. Gaza's Security forces responded by arresting ten people whom they suspected were members of the cell who arranged the attack.

Egyptian government's response

Military tactics

The disposition of Egyptian forces in the Sinai peninsula is mandated by the

Camp David Accords The Camp David Accords were a pair of political agreements signed by Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin on 17 September 1978, following twelve days of secret negotiations at Camp David, the country retre ...

and it is monitored by the 1,600 foreign troops who make up the

Multinational Force and Observers The Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) is an international peacekeeping force overseeing the terms of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. The MFO generally operates in and around the Sinai peninsula, ensuring free navigation through ...

. Egypt is only permitted to station enough military forces to enforce security in the Sinai. In 2011, Egypt sent an additional 2,500 troops and 250 armored personnel, with helicopters as part of Operation Eagle, a mission to provide security during the transition to power from the then-recently fallen Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Operation Eagle was joined by Operation Sinai in 2012, which came in response to a militant attack against an Egyptian border post 5 August that killed 16 border guards. Together, the two operations increased the total troop count by more than 2,500 added 80 vehicles and at least two attack helicopters. Egypt also was allowed to deploy armed fighter jets to El Arish to assist its ground forces in Sinai. Egypt's expanded force structure in Sinai is designed to deny militants sanctuary by bringing more force to bear than the municipal police can provide. Many of the new forces are stationed in the northeast of the Sinai along the Egyptian border with Gaza. They set up roadblocks and checkpoints in an attempt to monitor traffic and counter smuggling on the Sinai Peninsula. In the October 2014 attacks, the militants in Sinai used suicide truck bombs to breach army roadblocks and strongpoints for the first time, they immediately followed these attacks by launching an infantry attack. After the October attacks, the Egyptian military began using armed drones for the first time since the Sinai insurgency began. And as a measure to counter weapon and militant trafficking between Egypt and Gaza strip, the Egyptian government announced the creation of a buffer zone along the Egypt-Gaza border. Following the attacks on army and police bases in Arish in early 2015, the Egyptian President issued a decree to create a unified military command for the east of the Suez Canal to combat terrorism. Led by General Osama Roshdy Askar, it was to guide counter-terrorism activities of the

Second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

and Third Armies. On 27 April 2015, Egypt's Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab issued a decree ordering the isolation and evacuation of new areas in North Sinai's Rafah city, thus expanding the buffer zone. A shift in the militants strategy appeared in the July 2015 clashes. Zack Gold, Middle East analyst, views the battle as a change in strategy from hit and run tactics toward an ISIL-like 'holding' of territory. As an effort to limit car-bombs attacks, Egypt's Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab issued a decree banning 4X4 vehicles in army-operations zones in Sinai. Following the mosque attack in November 2017, President el-Sisi vowed to respond with "the utmost force" and Egyptian authorities in the days immediately after the attack the

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

claimed to have the pursued and destroyed of some of the militants' vehicles and weapons stocks. Airstrikes were also conducted in the neighboring mountains. In February 2018, the Egyptian military conducted major air strikes and land assaults against terrorist positions in Sinai. Egyptian forces occupied 37 schools and turned them into military bases. After the government took over the school, it failed to properly relocate the children. Students were denied access to education, and illiteracy levels increased. Besides, clashes between the army and armed groups destroyed 59 schools, three of which were attacked or destroyed by militants.

Judicial responses

The Egyptian government has used the death penalty to punish those convicted of committing terrorist acts in Sinai. On 26 December 2017, Egypt hanged 15 men convicted of killing nine soldiers during an attack on a military checkpoint in 2013.

Alleged Israeli involvement

In August 2012, an article in the

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...

newspaper said that the military cooperation between Israel and Egypt to combat jihadists in the region is at its highest level since the 1979 peace accords. A similar information in mentioned in an WSJ article from August 2013, which states: ''A senior American official described military cooperation between Israel and Egypt as "better than ever,".'' This unprecedented level of collaboration underscores the mutual security interests of both nations in maintaining stability and countering the shared threat of terrorism. One year later, with Cairo's consent, an Israeli drone reportedly entered Egyptian airspace and eliminated a terrorist cell in the Sinai. According to Western officials, the strike conducted by Israel was preceded by communications between senior Israeli security officials and their Egyptian counterparts. This strike has not been officially recognised. Since Marshal Al-Sissi's ascension to power in Cairo in the summer of 2013, Israeli leaders appear to share numerous strategic interests with their Egyptian counterparts, as evidenced by their close cooperation during the ceasefire negotiations with Hamas following Operation "Protective Edge" held in the Egyptian capital. The magnitude of the terrorist threat in the region justifies, from Israel's perspective, a tactical alliance with the Egyptian military, which has historically been viewed as an adversary. According to a New York Times article from May 2018 titled ''Secret Alliance: Israel Carries Out Airstrikes in Egypt, With Cairo's O.K.'', Israel also actively assists Egyptian forces with intelligence and airstrikes in the area, while other Western analysts assert that Cairo has granted the IDF "carte blanche" to target Sinai militants with manned and unmanned aircraft. This report includes providing critical intelligence and conducting airstrikes, indicating a deep level of operational coordination between the two countries. However, while this cooperation is aimed at eliminating a common threat, it is also important for Israel to keep the Sinai as a buffer zone, as provided for in the 1978 agreement, in order to maintain the 'qualitative military edge' ( QME) over its neighbours. Extensive smuggling of migrants (mostly from African countries), drugs and contraband from Sinai into Israel, as well as kidnapping of migrants crossing the Sinai en route from Africa to Israel were commonplace in the past, serving as an important source of income for insurgent groups in the Sinai. The crisis in Egypt resulted in a rise in illicit and insurgent activities across the Egypt–Israel border, prompting Israel to construct the Egypt–Israel barrier, completed in 2013. This had the effect of practically eliminating illegal migrant crossing into Israel and significantly reducing cross-border insurgency and drug smuggling. On 16 October 2017, the Islamic State announced that it had fired rockets at Eshkol region in Israel, in response to 'Jewish aircraft' assisting Egyptian security forces. On 23 May 2018, the Islamic State released a video claiming that Israeli aircraft struck civilian homes in the Sinai and showed Hebrew labels on munitions purportedly found in aftermath of the attack. As of 3 February 2018, ''

'' wrote that the

Israeli Defence Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

had conducted over 100 air strikes in Sinai, which elicited an official denial from the Egyptian military.

Reactions

Israel

In the two years following 2011, Israel approved two Egyptian military increases in the

above levels set in the

, which mandates that the Sinai must remain demilitarized, with only enough forces in Sinai to enforce security. Israel did so because it is not in its interest to have unrest in Sinai, whether political protests or militant violence. However, in late 2012, concern began to be raised as Egypt began deploying more force and tanks without coordination from Israel. On 21 August, Israeli Foreign Minister

Avigdor Lieberman Avigdor Lieberman (, ; born 5 June 1958) is a Soviet-born Israeli politician who served as Ministry of Finance (Israel), Minister of Finance between 2021 and 2022, having previously served twice as Deputy Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to ...

said that it is important for Israel to make sure that the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty is upheld, and not to remain silent as Egyptian military forces enter the Sinai. Concern was raised by Israeli officials over Egyptian failure to notify Israel about the deployment of tanks in the Sinai, which violates the peace treaty. Lieberman said, "We must make sure that every detail is upheld, otherwise we'll find ourselves in a slippery slope as far as the peace treaty is concerned." On the same day, Israeli daily ''Maariv'' reported that Israel sent a message to Egypt via the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

, protesting Egypt's ongoing increase in military presence in the Sinai without coordination from Israel, and telling Egypt that it must remove tanks from the Sinai because their presence violates the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty of 1979, which states that Sinai Peninsula is to remain demilitarized. The ''Maariv'' report was echoed by an article in ''

'', which stated that Israel was "troubled" by the entry of Egyptian tanks into the northern Sinai Peninsula without coordination with Israel and had asked Egypt to withdraw them. Partly due to Egypt's military deploying tanks in the Sinai Peninsula, Israel is increasingly worried about what has long been their most critical regional relationship. The lack of coordination around their deployment is seen as potentially undermining a peace treaty that has been a cornerstone of Israel's security for decades according to ''The New York Times''. Israel is also concerned that Egypt may use Operation Eagle to build up its military presence in the Sinai, and leave the tanks and armored carriers in the Sinai while not doing much more than symbolic action to eliminate the terrorist threat. Israel has not issued a formal complaint, and instead prefers to resolve the issue through quiet contacts, as well as mediation from the U.S., to avoid straining its relationship with Egypt. On 24 August 2012, a senior Egyptian military source said that Egyptian Defense Minister Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Israeli Defense Minister

Ehud Barak Ehud Barak ( ; born Ehud Brog; 12 February 1942) is an Israeli former general and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister from 1999 to 2001. He was leader of the Israeli Labor Party, Labor Party between 1997 and 20 ...

have reached an agreement on the issue of the militarization of the Sinai. ''Al Hayat'' reported that Sissi phoned Barak and said that Egypt was committed to maintaining the peace treaty with Israel. Sissi also said that the militarization was temporary, and was needed for security and to fight terrorism. However, an Israeli defense official denied that such a conversation took place. In late August 2012, Morsi said that the security operations do not threaten anyone, and "there should not be any kind of international or regional concerns at all from the presence of Egyptian security forces". Morsi added that the campaign was in "full respect to international treaties. The Egyptian-Israeli peace deal places limits on Egyptian military deployment in the Sinai. Officials in Israel were concerned about Egypt building up heavy armour in Sinai." On 8 September 2012, an Israeli official confirmed that coordination exists between Israel and Egypt regarding Operation Eagle. Egyptian Military spokesman Ahmed Mohammed Ali had earlier announced that Egypt has been consulting with Israel regarding its security measures in the Sinai. On 2 July 2015, one day after the attacks on 15

Egyptian Army The Egyptian Army (), officially the Egyptian Ground Forces (), is the land warfare branch (and largest service branch) of the Egyptian Armed Forces. Until the declaration of the Republic and the abolishment of the monarchy on 18 June 1953, it w ...

checkpoints, Israel announced that it was giving

a "free hand to operate in northern Sinai against local jihadist groups, voluntarily ignoring an annex to the 1979 Camp David Peace Accords banning the presence of significant Egyptian forces in the area." Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...

sent condolences to Egypt for the terrorist attacks that rocked that country on 1 July. He further stated that "we are together with Egypt and many other states in the Middle East and the world in the struggle against extreme Islamic terrorism." As of 3 February 2018, ''

'' had claimed that

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

has conducted over 100 air strikes in Sinai, which has been denied by the Egyptian Military spokesman, Col. Tamer a-Rifai. On 8 November 2021, after a meeting between Egyptian and Israeli military commanders in Sinai, Israel agreed to a larger deployment of Egyptian troops near Rafah. The exact level of the troop increase was not immediately announced.

United States

According to

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

, in a move to increase security in the Sinai, help Morsi, and reassure Israel, U.S. Defense Secretary

Leon Panetta Leon Edward Panetta (born June 28, 1938) is an American retired politician and government official who has served under several Democratic administrations as secretary of defense (2011–2013), director of the CIA (2009–2011), White House chi ...

offered Egypt classified intelligence-sharing capabilities to help Egypt identify military threats in the area, which he discussed during his recent trips to Egypt and Israel. The technology has been widely used in Iraq and Afghanistan to identify vehicles at great distances. The technology may also be used by the Multinational Force and Observers in Sinai. The United States is also offering increased intelligence sharing, including satellite imagery and drone flights, as well as cellphone intercepts and other communications among militants suspected of plotting attacks. On 22 August 2012, the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

urged Egypt to be transparent over Operation Eagle and any security operations in the Sinai. The State Department said that the United States supports Operation Eagle against terrorism, but stressed that Egypt must continue coordination with Israel regarding these operations and military increases in the Sinai, according to the 1979

. The State Department also called on Egypt to fulfill its obligations under the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty and deal strongly with security threats in the Sinai, while ensuring that "lines of communication stay open." On 23 August 2012, Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

, speaking with Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr, urged Amr to maintain lines of communication with Israel, and emphasized the importance of being transparent over the militarization of the Sinai.

Multinational Force and Observers in Sinai

The

in Sinai, a 1,650-strong international organization created in 1979 during the Camp David Accords with peacekeeping responsibilities, kept a low profile during the intensification of Operation Eagle in 2012. A representative for the organization said that "we are unable to respond to queries from the media at this time" in response to whether Egypt asked permission to move weaponry into the Sinai, and whether Israel granted it.

Jordan

The Egyptian pipeline carrying natural gas to Jordan has been attacked at least 15 times since the start of the uprising in early 2011. The lack of Egyptian gas hit Jordan budget severely (by JOD 1.4 billion or the equivalent of US$2 billion yearly for the past two years) and they are looking for Egypt to compensate for the lost quantities.

Other

A ''

Mada Masr ''Mada Masr'' () is an independent Egyptian online newspaper, founded in June 2013 by former journalists of the English-language newspaper '' Egypt Independent'' following the shutting down of its editorial operations in April 2013. It is an inde ...

'' journalist questioned the accuracy of Interior Ministry reports on at least two accusations.

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

journalist Clarissa Ward went undercover into the Sinai and witnessed evidence of a

scorched earth A scorched-earth policy is a military strategy of destroying everything that allows an enemy military force to be able to fight a war, including the deprivation and destruction of water, food, humans, animals, plants and any kind of tools and i ...

policy.

Background

Timeline

2011–2012

Operation Eagle

Operation Sinai

2013–2014

May

=May 2013 hostage crisis

July

=July 2013 escalation following Morsi ousting

September

December

January

2014 helicopter downing

February

=2014 Taba bus bombing

October

=October 2014 Sinai attacks

November

2015

January

=January 2015 Sinai attacks

March

April

May

June

July

=July 2015 Sinai attacks

August

September

=Operation Martyr's Right

October

=Downing of Russian passenger plane

2016

March

April

May

June

August

October

November

2017

January

April

=Palm Sunday church bombings

July

September

November

=Sinai mosque attack

December

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Aftermath (2023–present)

Areas of insurgency

Spillover into mainland Egypt

Gaza Strip spillover

Egyptian government's response

Military tactics

Judicial responses

Alleged Israeli involvement

Reactions

Israel

United States

Multinational Force and Observers in Sinai

Jordan

Other

See also

References

Further reading