Egypt, wary of influx of Gaza refugees into Sinai, rallies behind Palestinians
Egyptian officials are racing against time to stop the escalating war between Israel and Hamas, while Cairo is concerned that the escalation may extend to its borders with Gaza.
As Egyptians barely finished celebrating the 50th anniversary of their surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 6, 1973 — also known as the Yom Kippur War — Hamas militants were in the midst of their own sudden attack on southern Israeli towns. In the course of one morning, the militants took more than 100 hostages and fired more than 3,000 rockets toward the Jewish state.