Major-General Mahmoud El-Hefnawy, police chief for South Sinai, denied reports in the Israeli media that rockets which struck the southern Israeli resort of Eilat were fired from the Sinai peninsula.
El-Hefnawy described the security situation in the governorate as excellent, saying that there are fixed and mobile police checkpoints covering all the roads leading to North Sinai, which prevent any subversive elements from entering.
In addition, Governor of South Sinai Major-General Khalid Fouda stated that the claims in the Israeli media are nothing but rumours which are sent out whenever tourism starts to recover in the peninsula, and Sharm el Sheikh in particular, where the hotel room occupancy rate was 60 per cent yesterday.
Earlier on Thursday, the head of Eilat police, Ron Gertner, told Israeli Army Radio that explosions were heard in Eilat soon after midnight. Police found the remains of one rocket in a construction site, about 400 metres (yards) from a residential area. No casualties or damage were reported.
