An attack on a security checkpoint in Sinai on Wednesday left one soldier dead, state-run MENA reported. The attackers opened fire on the checkpoint, located on a road in Central Sinai, and fled after one bullet hit the 21 year old soldier in the head, killing him instantly. Another attack on a bus carrying soldiers took place on Wednesday but did not leave any casualties. There has been a surge of militancy in Sinai since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi on 3 July, and attacks on security personnel or buildings have taken place on an almost daily basis. On Tuesday, three improvised explosive devices (IED) in North Sinai claimed the lives of two and left five injured. The soldiers were travelling by bus between the North Sinai capital of Al-Arish and Rafah when the IEDs went off. On Monday, militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis claimed responsibility for an attack that took place earlier this week near the Military Intelligence building in Ismailia, which left six injured. On Sunday, three conscripts were reported injured after unknown assailants reportedly opened fire using live ammunition and rocket-propelled grenades on a bus transferring conscripts. Military spokesman Ahmed Ali said last month in a press conference that the "spread of terrorism" in the Sinai Peninsula is "the product of the negligence of the state." Egypt's Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy said last month that there are concerns that Hamas is somehow related to "terrorist activity in Sinai." He warned that tough responses, including military action, would follow if Egypt feels Hamas is posing a threat to its national security. The Deputy Head of Hamas's political bureau Ismail Haniyeh denied such associations earlier this week, saying the organisation was "not party to any incident that took place or that is taking place in Sinai."
