Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula
Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai PeninsulaAFP photo

A mortar attack in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula killed at least eight people on Sunday night, according to The Associated Press (AP).

According to the report, the mortar rounds were fired at a military post in the provincial capital of el-Arish, killing a soldier as well as seven civilians, including a child.

The military post is located near a compound of residential buildings in the al-Salam district. The main security headquarters and the local government offices are also located in the same area.

AN official , who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said a supermarket, pharmacy and a residential building were hit by the mortar fire.

Samy Anwar, the head of el-Arish hospital, said seven civilians were killed in the attack, including a 10-year old girl. He said 25 others were wounded.

Terrorist attacks in the Sinai have been a problem for Egypt since the 2011 ouster of Hosni Mubarak, and have only gotten worse since Mubarak’s successor, Mohammed Morsi, was ousted as well a year ago.

Most of the terrorist attacks have been claimed by the Al-Qaeda-inspired Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis.

The group  has claimed responsibility for a slew of terror attacks in Egypt since the military ousted former Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. Among the attacks claimed by the group was the assassination of a top Egyptian police general, who was gunned down as he left his home in a west Cairo neighborhood, and a bus bombing on a tour bus filled with South Korean tourists in the Sinai. 

The group has also claimed responsibility for several rocket attacks that targeted the Israeli resort city of Eilat.

On Friday, the group published a video allegedly documenting the launching of five 107 mm rockets at Israel.

The launch took place in the Sinai peninsula, south of the Egyptian city of Rafah. The rockets were apparently fired on Wednesday, and were aimed at an Israeli community in the Negev desert.