The staff stated that they had concrete information of a specific terrorist cell that planned on kidnapping Israelis in the near future.
The Sinai Peninsula has been a popular tourist site for Israelis, in spite of a standing advisory that had been in place for two years, warning against going there because of the threat of terrorism.
Brig.-Gen. (res.) Elkana Har-Nof told Israel Radio that all of Egypt, and especially the Sinai Peninsula, had become a hotbed of terrorist activity in recent years.
He said the whole region was dangerous not only to Israelis, but to others as well. However, this attack, Har-Nof said, applied specifically to Israelis.
He noted that the Egyptian authorities were aware of the threats and were working hard to stop terrorist activity, but ultimately, they are not able to prevent every attack.
Just two weeks ago, the Sinai resort of Dahab was struck by three bombs, killing nearly 30 people.
The Dahab attack was the third such terrorist assault in two years, following similar strikes in Sharm e-Sheikh last July and another in Taba in 2004. Over 100 people were killed in the three attacks.
