Two civilians were killed and one injured in a mortar shell attack that struck their family home in Rafah on Thursday.
The mortar was launched by Islamic State-affiliated group ‘Sinai Province’ and was reportedly targeting a security checkpoint but instead landed on the civilians’ house, destroying it completely.
The casualties were identified as Reda Ahmed, 16, and his sister Fatma, 6. Their other sibling Mariam, 6, was injured and taken to the Al-Arish general hospital for medical treatment.
North Sinai has become the scene of frequent clashes between militants and state security forces. A string of attacks have taken place over the past weeks in North Rafah area, killing mostly security personnel but leaving some civilian casualties.
On the third anniversary of the 30 June Uprising, a bomb exploded in Al-Arish, leaving one police conscript dead and a police officer and three other conscripts injured. In a separate attack, a priest named Rafael Moussa from Mar Girgis Church in Al-Arish was shot dead by unknown assailants.
As a result, an extensive counter-insurgency operation was launched to curb militancy. The Egyptian government has imposed a state of emergency in the peninsula’s northern regions.
