North Sinai–Palestinian factions in Gaza were behind the rocket attacks that hit Israel and Jordan, Egypt’s official news agency quoted a senior security official as saying Wednesday. The officials comments have been understood to imply that the rockets were fired from the Sinai peninsula.
"The preliminary information that the security has received indicates that Palestinian factions from the Gaza Strip are behind the operation," the unnamed Egyptian source told the state MENA agency.
"Egypt will never, under any circumstances, tolerate the use of its lands by any party to harm the country's interests," said the source, who declined to explain whether the rockets were fired from the Sinai peninsula.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri criticized the Egyptian claim, calling it politically motivated.
"Egyptian statements are conflicting," Abu Zuhri said. "We doubt the credibility of these statements and believe they are unprofessional and politically motivated."
On Tuesday, Egypt launched a wide security sweep of Sinai, after a senior Jordanian official said his country had proof that the deadly rocket that struck the port town of Aqaba was fired from Sinai.
"Following the Jordanian comments, Egypt has launched a wide security sweep of the Sinai peninsula," an Egyptian official said on condition of anonymity.
Bedouin sources said Egyptian authorities have beefed up security in southern Sinai. “Egyptian police are looking for a group of Palestinians around Taba and Nuweiba who might be involved in launching the rockets on Aqaba,” a Bedouin told Al-Mary Al-Youm on condition of anonymity.
South Sinai Governor Abdel Fadil Shusha told local media Tuesday that it was "technically impossible" for the rockets to have come from Sinai due to the mountainous nature of the peninsula.
At least five blasts were heard on Monday, with one Grad missile exploding in open ground outside the Israeli resort of Eilat, two crashing into the Red Sea, and the rest hitting Jordan, killing one person there.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Terrorism experts believe that weapons are being smuggled from Sinai into Gaza, including Grad missiles. Some of these missiles presumably remain in Sinai.
Reports indicate that there are at least five groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda based in Gaza, of which the most significant are: Jaish al-Umma (army of the nation), which first appeared in the Gaza Strip in June 2007, although it was officially established only two years ago; Jaish al-Islam (the army of Islam ); and Jund Ansar Allah (army of the supporters of Allah), which clashed with Hamas a year ago in Rafah, ending in Hamas killing 24 of its activists after the group declared an Islamic emirate in Gaza.
Egypt accused the “Al-Tawheed wal Jihad” group of executing a series of suicide attacks on the Sinai Peninsula during the period 2004-2006. The attacks killed more than 120, including 11 Israeli tourists.
Egyptian sources said elements of the group were trained and financed by groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Gaza Strip.
