The long desert border, the proximity to the Gaza Strip, and the terms of the peace treaty with Egypt, which enabled the maximal calm during the Mubarak era, limit Israel’s ability to act militarily with regard to the Sinai.
It was recently reported that Egyptian authorities have arrested five people, including Mohammed Eid Musleh Hamad, the leader of al-Mujahideen al-Takhfirin. Hamad's organization was established in early 2011, following the Tahrir Square demonstrations that led to the toppling of President Husni Mubarak's regime and the dismantling of Egypt’s powerful internal security mechanisms, which had been responsible for the brutal as well as effective suppression of activity by Islamic organizations in Egypt. Once these security mechanisms were dismantled, the campaign led by Egyptian authorities against Islamic terrorism essentially ended.