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Palestinian girls peer out over a broken section of the Gaza-Egypt border wall on Thursday. (Reuters)
Last update - 01:38 03/02/2008
Egypt arrests 17 Palestinian militants in Sinai over weekend
By Haaretz Service and The Associated Press
Tags: Israel, Hamas, Gaza Strip 

Egyptian security forces arrested 17 Palestinian militants in Sinai over the weekend, including two carrying a bomb Saturday who were trying to sneak further into the Sinai Peninsula, security and policy officials said.

Authorities arrested Hani Hamdan, 26, and his younger brother Rami, 21, in el-Massoura village, some 4 kilometers west of Egypt's border with Gaza, said a Sinai security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

The pair had managed to slip through the border with the Gaza Strip, security and police officials said.
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Army Radio quoted Egyptian officials as saying that men arrested Friday were planning to attack Israeli tourists in Sinai.

A police official in Cairo, speaking anonymously for the same reason, confirmed the arrest of Hani and Rami Hamdan, adding that the two were trying to reach the town of el-Arish, some 35 kilometers from the border, and move from there into southern Sinai where several beach resorts are located.

A northern Sinai intelligence official said Friday that Egyptian forces were looking for four Palestinians who slipped into the country from Gaza and were suspected of planning suicide attacks in Sinai. But it was unclear if the two men arrested Saturday were the same ones Egypt had been tracking.

Saturday's arrests raise to at least 17 the number of Palestinians arrested over the past few days carrying weapons and explosives near the border and other remote parts of the Sinai desert.

The Sinai intelligence official said Friday that 12 of those arrested were members of Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that seized control of Gaza last June.

The group consisted of two cells arrested separately as they attempted to sneak out of el-Arish carrying explosives and machine guns, the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

Meanwhile, a search was going ahead for another group of militants who escaped into mountains carrying explosives and weapons, apparently planning an attack against Israel.

A senior Egyptian security official announced that authorities were searching for four Palestinian militants who had infiltrated Sinai from Gaza, apparently aiming to carry out a terror attack at one of the area's tourist resorts.

The official added that Bedouin scouts had been recruited by the Egyptian authorities to assist in the manhunt.

Egyptian officials have expressed concern that militants could attempt to sneak into the country ever since Hamas blew open the border wall with Gaza on Jan. 23. Israel issued a travel warning to its citizens last week, advising them not to visit Sinai, the vast desert peninsula between the Gaza border and Cairo, for fear of attacks by militants.

Egypt has attempted to reseal the border, but thousands of Palestinians have continued to pour into the country.


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      1.   Why is this news re-appearing? 16:00  |  Hastaroth 01/02/08
      2.   All EU and Israelis should leave SINAI ASAP.It is too dangerous 16:04  |  Alan 01/02/08
      3.   The E200million Egypt made inRafah,they will lose from no tourist 16:06  |  Alan 01/02/08
      4.   Kudos to Egypt......well done..however... 16:11  |  Stephen. 01/02/08
      5.   Egypt won`t be seeing any tourist $$ from me 16:30  |  Richard S 01/02/08
      6.   And Haaretz still can`t say "terrorist" 16:45  |  David Teich 01/02/08
      7.   I agree RICHARD S my fellow canuck 16:54  |  Robert 01/02/08
      8.   it is just propaganda... 18:06  |  KS 01/02/08
      9.   All those Thousands of Palestinians were attacking Egypt 18:13  |  Efox 01/02/08
      10.   What will Egypt do? 18:44  |  Jon 01/02/08
      11.   Mubarek knows that israel is not the next target 18:50  |  Avi 01/02/08
      12.   Good work by Egypts security 18:55  |  Hassan 01/02/08
      13.   Smart enough? 19:04  |  Ahmose The Egyptian 01/02/08
      14.   Hamas Thanks Egypt for Its Largess 19:12  |  Jane 01/02/08
      15.   #2 alan 19:14  |  Q 01/02/08
      16.   Egypt allowed over 2,000 Palestinians ... 19:17  |  Avi 01/02/08
      17.   Jane you are 100% correct but... 19:27  |  Avi 01/02/08
      18.   #8..Ahmose The Egyptian 19:29  |  malone 01/02/08
      19.   RE: What will Egypt do? (#6) 20:03  |  democrat 01/02/08
      20.   Back To The Reservation 20:28  |  Jeff Northridge 01/02/08
      21.   No!!! Hamas not doing that 20:33  |  pro-Hamas 01/02/08
      22.   Liars 20:52  |  Palestinian 01/02/08
      23.   why doesn`t the IDF blow up Hamas` bulldozer? 21:05  |  jewish doctor 01/02/08
      24.   Egypt Second Revenue Bonanza:tourism 21:06  |  Mio 01/02/08
      25.   not bad, 4 out of every 5 bombers caught... 21:07  |  dav zee 01/02/08
      26.   Where are... 21:27  |  dovale 01/02/08
      27.   Hamas - closure 21:39  |  Reid 01/02/08
      28.   thanks egypt.,,,,,,,, 21:55  |  asad 01/02/08
      29.   Sinai be careful 21:57  |  Gisela 01/02/08
      30.   jewish doctor @#21 22:11  |  akiva 01/02/08
      31.   egypt could have stop flow within hours 22:27  |  of the breach 01/02/08
      32.   More information is available on the identities of the terrorists 22:37  |  Ethan 01/02/08
      33.   arabs out 23:09  |  frenz 01/02/08
      34.   Hamas Freedom Fighters to bomb Egyptian Resorts 23:22  |  Gina 01/02/08
      35.   #25 Obviously.Muslim Brotherhood is Hamas 23:25  |  Pharaoh 01/02/08
      36.   Ethan - Thanks for the additional information 23:52  |  Gina 01/02/08
      37.   Not so simple Mio (22). Hamas is an offspring of Egyptian Muslim 23:52  |  Karl 01/02/08
      38.   Egypt is a traitor! 00:05  |  Proud American 02/02/08
      39.   This shows how a PEACE TREATY works. 00:16  |  S. Michelle 02/02/08
      40.   #1, Hastaroth.Don`t you like good news? 00:19  |  Ali 02/02/08
      41.   6#. KS BS. This is what Egypt gets from RW when 00:22  |  Joshua 02/02/08
      42.   #14 . Avi, for your education........... 00:33  |  Wahid 02/02/08
      43.   #18 howdy Jeff N. Gaza is not an Indian Reservation but STALAG 00:46  |  Al Hamid b 02/02/08
      44.   Did You Hear What The Terrorists Did in Bagdad Today? 01:24  |  Jane 02/02/08
      45.   Al Hamid b 01:31  |  alan 02/02/08
      46.   Egypt`s help 01:48  |  mbawmba 02/02/08
      47.   Egypt had no business stopping them 02:04  |  Natallie Durson 02/02/08
      48.   #42 Jane 02:17  |  Chris Linthwaite 02/02/08
      49.   Alan # 45 re Al Hamid 02:27  |  ChanahS 02/02/08
      50.   Duhson! 47 02:29  |  ChanahS 02/02/08
      51.   #45 THank you for posting 02:30  |  Tobia 02/02/08
      52.   #45 moved to 47 02:32  |  TOBIA 02/02/08
      53.   Gaza Reservation and Terrorist Preserve 02:57  |  MaryRose 02/02/08
      54.   #48 Cris Israel need no help. 03:00  |  TObia 02/02/08
      55.   Chris Linthwaite -- Hamas and Al Qaida are brothers 03:10  |  Gina 02/02/08
      56.   Natallie Durson -- More Muslims will be murdered 03:20  |  Gina 02/02/08
      57.   I Am Not a Member of AIPAC Only A Human Being With A Soul 03:27  |  Jane 02/02/08
      58.   It might be true 03:30  |  Mark Lincoln 02/02/08
      59.   Gaza to Egpyt, east of west bank wall = future federation 03:38  |  Arab 02/02/08
      60.   #47 Natallie. Egypt was invaded 03:46  |  Sami 02/02/08
      61.   Yes Jane, I did hear what they did in Baghdad today 04:11  |  Mark Lincoln 02/02/08
      62.   Speculation. What Source? Where is this info coming from? 04:26  |  POP 02/02/08
      63.   Enjoy your stupid move, Egypt! 04:27  |  mea too 02/02/08
      64.   As Usual Mark Lincoln`s Sickening Justifications 04:40  |  Jane 02/02/08
      65.   LTTE in Sri Lanka Al Qaeda Hamas - Denial of Facts 04:49  |  Jane 02/02/08
      66.   Chris Linthwaite - Al Qaida and Hamas 05:54  |  Free Gilad Shalit 02/02/08
      67.   Egypt and the Arab refugees problem. 09:30  |  Harold Lane 02/02/08
      68.   israel=reason it happened in the first place 10:02  |  Donnie 02/02/08
      69.   Come on guys, let`s stick to the facts...... 11:02  |  Swiss (Dino) 02/02/08
      70.   Lies and more Lies from the Pharaon 11:14  |  Gisele 02/02/08
      71.