Israel Condemns ‘Severe Terrorist Attack’ that Killed 16 Egyptian Policemen

Pictured Above: The Egyptian flag. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

(JNS.org) Israel Saturday night condemned a terror attack in Egypt’s Giza province that killed at least 16 Egyptian policemen, in one of the deadliest attacks against the Arab country’s security forces in years.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office released a statement saying it “strongly condemns the severe terrorist attack,” and sending condolences to Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and the Egyptian people.

“There is no difference between the terrorism that strikes in Egypt and the terrorism that strikes in other countries,” the Prime Minister’s Office stated. “Terrorism will be defeated quicker if all countries are united in taking action against it.”

The attack began late Friday when jihadists ambushed Egyptian security forces during a raid on a terrorist hideout in the Wahat al-Bahriya area of the Giza province, 84 miles southwest of Cairo.

According to Egyptian officials, the terrorists initiated a massive firefight against the policemen with heavy artillery, including rocket-propelled grenades, The Associated Press reported. 

Security sources initially reported around 54 security officers being killed in the shootout, but the Egyptian Interior Ministry cited a lower death toll, stating 16 policemen were killed. The ministry also said some 15 terrorists were killed or injured.

The incident comes as the Islamic State terror group is engaged in intense fighting with Egyptian security forces in the Sinai Peninsula, where hundreds of government troops and policemen have been killed during the past several years.