August 2012 Sinai attack

August 2012 Sinai attack
Part of Sinai insurgency
August 2012 Sinai attack is located in Sinai
August 2012 Sinai attack
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The attack site
LocationSinai Peninsula, Egypt and Kerem Shalom border crossing
Coordinates31°13′N 34°17′E / 31.217°N 34.283°E / 31.217; 34.283
Date5 August 2012; 12 years ago (2012-08-05)
TargetEgyptian military base, Kerem Shalom border crossing.
WeaponsRocket-propelled grenades, armored cars[1][2]
Deaths16 Egyptian soldiers,[3] 8 gunmen[4][1]
Injured7[5]
PerpetratorsMainly Bedouin residents of the Sinai[6][7][8]
No. of participants
35[3][7]
MotiveUnknown

The August 2012 Sinai attack occurred on 5 August 2012, when armed men ambushed an Egyptian military base in the Sinai Peninsula, killing 16 soldiers and stealing two armored cars, which they used to infiltrate into Israel. The attackers broke through the Kerem Shalom border crossing to Israel, where one of the vehicles exploded. They then engaged in a firefight with soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), during which six of the attackers were killed. No Israelis were injured.

The attack led to sharp condemnations from Israeli and Egyptian authorities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his condolences for the Egyptian soldiers killed, and praised IDF troops for their preparedness and handling of the attack. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned that the incident should be a "wake up call" for Egypt in dealing with terrorists in the Sinai Peninsula, while Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi vowed to retake the Sinai Peninsula and declared three days of mourning. The Egyptian government also closed the Rafah Border Crossing to the Gaza Strip.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference AJ was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Yaakov Katz (6 August 2012). "IDF thwarts complex terror infiltration from Sinai". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  3. ^ a b Yoav Zitun (6 August 2012). "Watch: IAF strikes Sinai terror cell". Yedioth Ahronot. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  4. ^ "Egypt Israel border attack leaves 'five gunmen dead'". BBC News. 6 August 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference USAT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Terrorists 2km was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Israel request was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Abigail Hauslohner (6 August 2012). "Sinai Border Attack: What's Behind the Unrest in Egypt's Rogue Province". Time. Retrieved 6 August 2012.