Christians in Egypt bury victims of bombings
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt — Mourners gathered yesterday to pray for Coptic Christians killed in two deadly Palm Sunday church bombings as terrorist attacks continued in the Sinai Peninsula.
Israel closed its Taba border crossing to those departing for Egypt after its anti-terrorism office warned of an “imminent” attack there.
The Israeli military said a rocket fired from Sinai later exploded in an open field, causing no injuries.
Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz said Israeli authorities picked up signs that a potential “terror attack” was planned against tourists in the Sinai, home to several popular resorts on the Red Sea — and to a violent insurgency affiliated with the militant group Islamic State.
The Israeli border closure came hours before the start of the Passover holiday, when Sinai is a popular vacation destination for Israelis. It also comes before a scheduled visit by Pope Francis to Egypt to mend ties with Muslim leaders.
At least 45 Christian worshipers were killed and more than a hundred wounded during the Palm Sunday attacks at churches in Alexandria and Tanta, one of the worst terrorist strikes to rock Egypt in recent history.
Funeral services held overnight for the 28 victims in Tanta, about 50 miles north of Cairo, drew thousands. In Alexandria yesterday, thousands more mourners gathered to pray for the 17 killed there.
Rida Ghattas Kamel, 55, a math teacher, traveled several hours by bus north to Alexandria for the victims’ funeral Monday.
Kamel, 55, is a Coptic Christian, and had watched coverage of the bombings the day before with his 20-year-old daughter, who he said became so distraught she collapsed. “Why do such Muslim people kill us?” she asked him. “We live together. We eat together. We study together. Why do they hate us and kill us?”
Kamel didn’t have an answer. He said he wasn’t sure what to think of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, who declared a threemonth state of emergency.