Unidentified assailants bombed the home of a police officer and set two others ablaze in Al-Arish during the early hours of Tuesday, according to residents. The attacks left no casualties as the houses were empty. The incidents are not the first of their kind as police and army officers are being targeted by North Sinai militants. Earlier this week, a similar incident targeting the house of a police officer took place, however the explosion left seven civilians injured including four children. The areas of East Al-Arish, Sheikh Zuweid and Rafah have highest rate of insurgency in North Sinai. 5km along the Rafah border, residents are currently being evacuated to destroy houses containing smuggling tunnels. Militancy in North Sinai is practiced by "State of Sinai", which was formerly known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis before pledging allegiance to the "Islamic State" (IS). President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi referred in several occasions to the involvement "foreign elements" in North Sinai's insurgency. Accordingly, there are reports on Hamas members or affiliated militants having crossed the borders to aid North Sinai militants. Egyptian media blamed the Hamas Palestinian movement for interfering in Egypt's internal affairs. The movement denied such accusations on separate occasions.
