The Egyptian government has declared a high alert in the Sinai Peninsula following a high level of Al Qaeda terrorist activity in the region.

The terrorists have set up a military base in central Sinai, Egyptian security officials told the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency on Monday.

Curfews have been imposed on the Sinai cities of El-Arish, Sheikh Zuweid and Rafiah, which straddles the border with Hamas terrorist-ruled Gaza.

Some 30 jihadists from Gaza entered the region via the tunnels, officials said, and it is believed they may join demonstrations against the Muslim Brotherhood planned for June 30.

Al Qaeda terrorists kidnapped at least seven Egyptian security officers earlier this year.

Until the January 25 Revolution, Israeli tourists flocked to the Sinai Peninsula for every holiday each year despite numerous warnings by Israel’s Counter Terrorism Bureau, describing terrorists’ plans to kidnap and murder Israelis and Jews at any opportunity that presented itself.

Although tourism to the region continues, particularly to areas that line the Red Sea shoreline, it is greatly reduced due to the change in Egypt’s government, which has become Islamist with the installation of the Muslim Brotherhood-backed President Mohammed Morsi.