On June 21, Bedouin gunmen opened fire on a convoy of seven trucks in
eastern Sinai. The sources said the convoy was on its way to deliver
supplies to Israel.
The sources said the Bedouin attack on the Israel-bound convoy consisted
of at least 30 gunmen. They said two people were injured in the convoy.
Hours earlier, Egyptian police raided Bedouin homes in eastern Sinai.
The sources said police and security forces have been searching for
fugitives among the Bedouins as well as Palestinians who infiltrated from
Gaza.
In wake of the attack, the sources said, hundreds of Bedouins have fled
their homes for the mountains to avoid an Egyptian arrest campaign. They
said the Bedouins have urged authorities to agree to an outside mediator to
enable the fugitives to return home.
Bedouin smugglers were said to have expanded their cooperation with the
Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip. The sources said the Bedouins have also been
trained by Hamas and other Palestinian elements in operations against
Egyptian security forces.
In February 2010, Bedouin gunmen attacked an Egyptian police van in
eastern Sinai and killed two policemen. The attack led to the release of
about a dozen Bedouin detainees, some of whom were accused of storing huge
amounts of weapons smuggled into Sinai from Sudan and other African states.
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