
The Palestinian government in Gaza condemned the kidnapping of seven Egyptian soldiers at dawn Thursday near the Egyptian city of El-Arish, northern Sinai.
The Ministry of Interior and National Security considered, in a statement, the crime as a “cowardly act that targets the security and stability in the Egyptian street.”
It announced a state of alert along its border with Egypt on Thursday and said that the Palestinian security services are ready to cooperate with the Egyptian security forces to help in arresting the criminals.
Gaza’s Interior Ministry said the security measures have been tightened at the borders and tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip in case the kidnappers tried to smuggle the Egyptian servicemen into the Gaza Strip.
The ministry asserts: “Any attack on Egyptian security represents an attack on Palestinian security.”