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| Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi (C) shakes hand with an Egyptian soldier, whom was injured when gunmen attacked a border station between Egypt and Israel, at a hospital in Cairo |
The Short-Lived Morsi-Hamas Honeymoon -Khaled Abu Toameh
Sunday's terror attack in Sinai which killed 16 Egyptian border guards took place just when it seemed that Hamas and Egypt were about to embark on a honeymoon. Just last week, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi received Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in his palace in Cairo and agreed to ease restrictions on residents of Gaza, despite opposition from Egypt's Supreme Military Council. In interviews with Arab TV stations and comments on social media sites, many Egyptians blamed their president for the "massacre" in Sinai and demanded the closure of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza.
Apart from the political damage, the terror attack has also dealt a severe economic blow to Hamas. Immediately after the attack, the Egyptians forced the Hamas government to close down all underground tunnels that are used to smuggle not only weapons but also various goods and fuel.
(Jerusalem Post)
Egyptian Air Strike Kills 20 Militants in Sinai -Yusri Mohamed
Egypt launched air strikes around the town of Sheikh Zuwaid, 10 km. from Gaza, following clashes overnight between armed men and security forces at several checkpoints in northern Sinai. More than 20 suspected Islamic militants were killed in the crackdown on jihadists blamed for a deadly attack on Egyptian border police.
Israel says it has agreed in the past to Egyptian requests to bring more troops into Sinai and the terms of the peace treaty are no obstacle to combating militants threatening both countries. "What we see in Egypt is a strong fury, a determination of the regime and the army to take care of it and impose order in Sinai," senior Israeli defense official Amos Gilad told Israel Radio.
(Reuters)
Egypt: We Have Detailed Information on Sinai Attack -Manar Ammar
Morad Mowafi, head of Egypt's intelligence agency, told Turkey's Anadulo news agency that they had information about the deadly attack in Rafah and those who were involved in it. He said that the "terrorist group" behind the attack is spread between Egypt's Sinai and Gaza.
Mowafi said, "Yes, we had detailed information about the attack, but we never imagined that a Muslim would kill a Muslim on the hour of breaking the fasting in Ramadan."
Moussa Abu Hamed of Hamas said that Israeli intelligence handed its Egyptian counterpart a list of 9 terrorists who are suspects in the attack.
(Bikya Masr-Egypt)
Egyptian Officials Fired Over Soldiers' Killings in Sinai -Kareem Fahim
President Mohamed Morsi fired his intelligence chief, the head of the military police, the governor of North Sinai, and the head of the presidential guard in a sweeping response to the killing of 16 soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula.
(New York Times)
Israel-Egypt Security Cooperation Strong -Amos Harel & Avi Issacharoff
The current security coordination between Israel and Egypt has undergone a significant upgrade.
The evidence includes passing along warnings of possible attacks, talks between senior officers in the field, and the continuous discussions between the Egyptian Ministry of Defense and General Intelligence Service and the Israeli security establishment.
The appointment of a new Egyptian intelligence minister should only strengthen ties.
(Ha'aretz)
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