The National Security Council Counter-Terrorism Bureau (NSCCTBCTB) issued on Thursday a serious warning against travelling to the Sinai Peninsula, and called on Israelis vacationing in the area to leave immediately.
"From information at our disposal, it arises that terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip and additional elements are actively planning to perpetrate terrorist attacks, especially abductions, against Israeli tourists in Sinai in the immediate term," the NSCCTB's warning said.
"The NSCCTB reiterates its call to all Israelis in Sinai to leave the area immediately and return home. The families of Israelis in Sinai are requested to contact them and update them regarding this travel warning. The NSCCTB also emphatically recommends that all those planning to leave for Sinai refrain from doing so."
The latest travel warning comes in light of increased tension along Israel’s southern border. Last week, a branch of the Al-Qaeda terror group based in Sinai claimed responsibility for the repeated attacks on the pipeline carrying gas from Egypt to Jordan and Israel.
The group released a video in which it claimed responsibility for the attacks and said that they were meant to “protect state resources and the rights of the poor.”
Several hours after the pipeline was attacked for the 15th time on July 22, terrorists hiding behind sand dunes fired on a bus filled with soldiers.
The shooting attack occurred in the area of Ein Netafim, adjacent to the Egyptian-Israeli border.
Egyptian authorities have struggled to maintain stability in the Sinai since the fall of former president Hosni Mubarak last year.
A terror attack aimed on Highway 12, near Israel’s border with Egypt, in August of last year killed eight Israelis.