A Christian father and son were killed by Islamic State (IS) terrorists in the village of Jilbana near the town of Al-Qantara East in Ismailia governorate, Egypt, on 30 August.

Salama Waheeb Moussa and his son Hani Waheeb Moussa were shot dead by IS operatives, seemingly at random, while working on their family farm. Their bodies were discovered by police after their family lost contact with them. Hani Waheeb Moussa leaves behind a wife and two young daughters.

CSW sources report that IS has increased its operations in the neighbouring governorate of Northern Sinai in recent weeks as the Egyptian army has sought to restrain their influence. A large number of IS operatives have reportedly moved from the Sinai into cities on the west side of the Suez Canal to escape the military offensive. In mid-August a group of IS operatives entered Jilbana, and have been fighting police and military in the region since that time.

According to a Facebook post by Coptic journalist Nader Shukri, the Egyptian army recently killed a large number of terrorists, with the help of tribes from the region. Among them were prominent commanders Basel Khaled Sheikh and Hamza Adel Alzamli.

Islamist militias have been active in the Sinai since 2011. Terrorist attacks have been primarily concentrated in the region since then, and in 2014 the group known as Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis pledged allegiance to IS.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: “We extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Salama and Hani Waheeb Moussa, and to the wider Coptic community in northern Sinai and across Egypt. We commend the efforts of the Egyptian army and security forces to combat the threat posed by IS and other terrorist factions, and encourage the Egyptian authorities to protect the lives of vulnerable citizens by continuing the pursuit of these groups, whilst taking care to ensure that any counterterrorism measures have the minimum possible impact on civil liberties.”