JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s military went on high alert and both Israel and Egypt sent extra reinforcements to the Gaza border amid fears of an attack by the Gaza-based terrorist group Islamic Jihad.
Intelligence reports indicated that Islamic Jihad is planning to launch an attack in the area, Israeli authorities said, with members of the terrorist organization believed already to have crossed from Gaza to Sinai, reports said.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz ordered the reinforcement of IDF troops early Monday morning. The decision to bolster IDF forces in the south was coordinated with Egypt, according to the IDF.
Egypt on Monday deployed 1,500 troops in the Sinai Peninsula, according to a report from the Britain-based Al-Hayat newspaper.
"The IDF views the Hamas terrorist organization as responsible for any terrorist activities emanating from the Gaza Strip," the IDF said in a statement.
The reinforcements were ordered two weeks after eight Israelis and at least five Egyptian soldiers and police were killed in a coordinated attack on Israeli civilian vehicles near Eilat in southern Israel. The terrorists reportedly entered Israel through the Sinai.
