People in Sinai have been in a state of panic after the dead bodies of five citizens were found at different areas of the restive peninsula.
Eye-witnesses said a teacher from Sheikh Zuwayed was killed on Tuesday, while three other gun-riddled corpses were also found with gunshots by the al-Arish, Sheikh Zuwayed road.
A fifth body was also found at al-Moqataa village, south of Sheikh Zuwayed.
People in Rafah continued to evacuate their homes to pave the way for the creation of the 1-km buffer zone the state had announced in 2014.
Authorities also decided to backtrack on the opening of the vital Rafah land crossing to Gaza Strip due to the tensional security situation.
The witnesses, who asked not to be named, said Arish is undergoing unprecedented security tensions coinciding with the declaration on Tuesday of the death of a police officer who was kidnapped days earlier.
They added that a wide-scale army and police raid resulted in the burning of several huts belonging to extremists in the south of Sheikh Zuwayed and Rafah, as well as the disposal of several unlicensed bikes and three cars.
A number of citizens in Arish expressed their feeling of horror due to surging killings. The panic had its impact on the turnover for the weekly makeshift market on Tuesday.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
