Two citizens killed in Rafah

Two citizens were killed in Rafah by unidentified gunmen on Monday evening, independently owned Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported.

They were later transported to Rafah General Hospital.

Security sources in Rafah said the incident is part of several planned assassinations of key tribal leaders in the area. 

In May, Shady al-Menaei, head of the militant Islamist group Ansar Beit al-Maqdes (Jerusalem Brigades), was killed in a drive-by shooting in Sinai, along with three other leading members. They were reportedly killed by 15 members of a local Bedouin tribe in a vendetta killing after the death of a fellow tribesman, who had reportedly collaborated with security forces, leading to his death.

However, Ansar Beit al-Maqdes has denied Menaei's death. 

In the same month, Ansar Beit al-Maqdes claimed responsibility for a bombing that took place a few kilometers from Martyr Ahmed Hamdy tunnel, in which two were killed and five injured.

The Sinai-based militant group has claimed responsibility for several attacks on security personnel and facilities in Cairo and Northern Sinai since the ousting of former President Mohamed Morsi last year.

The military has been waging a targeted offensive in Sinai in an effort to crackdown on groups like Ansar Beit al-Maqdes.