For the first time in years, Israelis in Sinai decided to adhere to the warnings issued by the Israeli Anti-Terror Bureau, and hundreds began leaving the Egyptian Peninsula ahead of the coming holiday.
The alert issued by the Bureau indicated there is concrete information that terror organizations plan to kidnap Israelis in Sinai and Egypt during the month of October.
| Terror Warning |
|
| Threat in Sinai; alert in Israel / Seya Egozy |
|
Taba border terminal nearly deserted following travel warnings issued by Counter-Terror Bureau regarding possibility that terror groups may attempt to kidnap Israelis in Sinai; meanwhile, police go on highest alert ahead of holiday season |
| Full story |
|
|
|
"The alerts issued this year were much more concrete and severe than last year's," Taba crossing Director Itzik Chai told Ynet Monday.
"On the eve of the New Year holiday last year, masses crossed the border, while this year, whoever wanted to cross did so by yesterday," he said
Chai said most people were moving from Egypt into Israel.
Taba border crossing Monday morning (Photo: Lior Yado)
The Taba border crossing seemed deserted Monday morning. Israelis tend to flock to Sinai during the holidays, however this year the trend changed.
On Sunday about 1,200 people, most of them tourists, returned from Sinai to Israel, while only 700 entered Egypt. On Monday morning only 150 people entered Sinai, most of them tourists.
Deserting the beaches
"My friends decided to leave after they received a call from Israel beseeching them to return home. The beach gradually emptied and everybody left for Israel," Tamar Yaakovi, a vacationer in Sinai told Ynet.
"I was not afraid to come here, because there are always alerts regarding Sinai, but once everybody started leaving, the atmosphere became unpleasant," she said.
Another Israeli returning from Sinai, Kfir Pevzner said that once word of the alert spread across the beaches, all the Israelis were "washed away from Sinai like a big wave."
"The rumor that there are plans to kidnap Israelis started circulating, and people started fighting over the only phone with reception in Israel, to let their families know they are fine, and find out how bad the situation is," he said.
Some of the leaving vacationers said the Bedouins who operate the beach resorts in Sinai practically begged them to stay and assured them they are safe and protected by hired security officers and army patrols in the area.
RSS
