Israel Warns Of Attacks In Sinai

Israel said Sunday that Arab militants are planning attacks against Israelis already located in Egypt's Sinai resorts and urged its citizens not to travel to the population vacation spot for the upcoming Jewish holidays.

The government's anti-terror unit issued a travel advisory for the Sinai peninsula, which traditionally attracts tens of thousands of Israelis to its Red Sea beaches during Jewish holiday seasons. It also urged any Israelis already there to leave immediately.

The warning said violent groups in Sinai were planning to kidnap Israeli tourists vacationing there.

Meanwhile, Israel has suspended its offensive in the Gaza Strip following a lull in rocket attacks by Palestinian militants, but is ready to continue the operation if the rocket fire resumes, officials said Sunday.

The officials said the operation, which included a series of airstrikes last week, achieved its goal of weakening militants' ability to attack Israel from Gaza. Militants haven't fired rockets into Israel since Tuesday, the army said.

With the break in fighting, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas spoke by telephone Sunday and agreed to meet soon, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.

The leaders "agreed to tighten cooperation and to work together to advance the peace process," Sharon's office said. It did not give a date for the meeting, though Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said preparations would begin in the coming days.

Sharon and Abbas had been tentatively scheduled to meet Sunday, but the summit was canceled after Israel launched its offensive last week.

Danny Arditi, an adviser to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon who leads the government's Counterterrorism Bureau, told Israel Radio on Sunday the Sinai terror alert was based on information that the militants planning attacks were already located in Sinai.

"It's truly a focused warning regarding the target and even the location," Arditi said. "The alert regards the Israelis who came to celebrate the Jewish New Year."

Egyptian security is aware of the activity of the militant cells and acting to thwart any attacks, Arditi said. He did not give the names of the Arab militant groups Israel believes are operating in the Sinai, although Israeli officials have said that al Qaeda is active there.

Mark Regev, spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said there are concerns that Palestinian militants slipped into Egypt, joining other violent groups already in the area, following Israel's withdrawal from Gaza last month. After the pullout, border controls broke down for several days, allowing tens of thousands of Palestinians to move freely in and out of Egypt without any security checks.

During this same holiday season last year, more than 30 people died in bombings of a luxury hotel in the Sinai resort area of Taba, just over the Israeli border, and in a nearby beach camp. Eleven of those killed in the Oct. 7 attacks were Israelis.

On July 23, at least 64 people were killed in terrorist attacks in Sinai's main resort of Sharm el-Sheik.

Egypt has arrested hundreds in connection to the Sinai attacks.

Egyptian security officials would not immediately comment on the Israeli warning. But Egyptian security forces said Sunday they are combing Sinai looking for three alleged extremist leaders they believe are holed up in the rugged mountain area, linked to the two attacks in the past year.

An Egyptian security officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the media, said the latest search campaign came after officials obtained information from a suspect who was captured Wednesday with a videotape containing some militants' names.