In the past four days 18,000 Israeli tourists have crossed the border into the Sinai Peninsula, according to Channel 10 Television. That's a 50-percent increase over last year.
Despite severe warnings about the area from the Counter-Terrorism Bureau in the Prime Minister's Office, the Israeli presence is expected to grow in anticipation of the closing days of the Sukkot holiday and long lines are expected at the border crossings. While the bureau is concerned with Islamic State terrorists and other forces fighting the Egyptian government, there is a large Egyptian army presence there too.