TEL AVIV – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the “horrific and despicable terrorist attack” in Sinai and sent condolences to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the Egyptian people and the families of the 305 people killed in the attack.
“Israel strenuously condemns the horrific and despicable terror attack carried out on the Mosque near al-Arish and sends condolences in the name of all the citizens of Israel to President al-Sissi, the Egyptian nation, and the families of the victims,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said.
“Israel send its wishes for a speedy recovery to the wounded,” the statement continued. “The terror will be defeated faster if all nations work together against it.”
President Reuven Rivlin described the attack as “pure evil.”
“Yesterday more than 300 people were murdered; men women and children in an attack on a mosque in northern Sinai,” Rivlin tweeted. “Attacking people at the time of prayer, a time of intimacy and full of grace, is pure evil.”
“Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the families and the people of Egypt,” Rivlin said.
At least 305 people were murdered, including 27 children, when 30 gunmen carrying Islamic State flags opened fire and detonated a bomb in a Sufi mosque during Friday prayers in northern Sinai.
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein expressed condolences to Egypt’s ambassador to Israel, Hazem Khairat.
Transportation and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) tweeted, “Condolences to the families of the dozens of people murdered in the terror attack on a mosque in Sinai” and said that Israel “stands shoulder to shoulder with Egypt and other countries in region and the international arena in the war against radical Islamic terror.”
In a separate, Hebrew-language tweet, Katz said “Radical Islam is striking indiscriminately and murdering Muslims as well. It’s time to form a regional front against Iran’s Shiite terrorism and Islamic State’s Sunni terror.”
Education Minister and Bayit Yehudi party head Naftali Bennett echoed Katz, saying, “The distinction is between terrorism supporters like Iran and IS and supporters of humanity” and calling for an international coalition to include Russia, Europe, the US, Israel and the Arab world.
Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid tweeted: “We must all stand together in the fight against this indescribable evil.”
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan also called for a united front against Islamic terror.
Former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon stated that “the axis of evil had struck a heavy blow today in Egypt” and added “together we can defeat it.”
Zionist Union MK Amir Peretz called the attack “a terrible human tragedy” and wished, on behalf of the people of Israel, “a quick recovery to those wounded and consolations to families of the hundreds of those killed.”
He also called on Israel and Egypt to strengthen their security cooperation.
“This is the time for solidarity with the Cairo government and the people of Egypt. To increase [our] security cooperation and push back against those seeking to shake [our] regional stability,” Peretz said.
Opposition leader MK Isaac Herzog tweeted his condolences in Arabic: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Egypt.”
MK Oren Hazan [Likud] called on Israel to send immediate humanitarian aid to Egypt and, using social media to address Netanyahu, reminded the prime minister: “After the earthquake, you offered humanitarian aid to Iran despite it being an enemy country and a terrorism exporter – it is, therefore, our moral duty to aid our neighbor [Egypt] with whom we have a peaceful relationship.”
Soon after the attack on Friday, the Egyptian flag lit up the Tel Aviv municipality building.