Church in Chains, 6 September 2022 (excerpts)
Islamic State terrorists shots dead two Copts, Hany Moussa Waheeb (40) and his father Salama Moussa Waheeb, in northwest Sinai on 30 August.
The shooting took place in a village where the two Christians had been working in fields on their family farm. They were seemingly shot at random – police discovered their bodies after family members lost contact with them.
Hany leaves behind a wife and two young daughters, while Salama was father to two sons and three daughters.
In mid-August, Islamic State militants reportedly entered the area and began fighting police and military there.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports that in recent weeks Islamic State has increased its operations in North Sinai and that many Islamic State operatives have moved into cities on the west side of the Suez Canal.
The army has been engaged in counter-insurgency operations against Islamist militias in Sinai since 2011, and the jihadists have killed scores of security force members and also many Christians.
In 2017, most of the Coptic residents of Al Arish, capital of North Sinai governorate, fled their homes following the killing of seven Copts by Islamic State militants.