Egypt-Israel gas pipeline blown up for 13th time

According to witnesses, the attack on the gas pipeline, which crosses the Sinai Peninsula, occurred on Monday in the Massaeed area west of the Mediterranean coastal town of al-Arish in the northern Sinai.

Witnesses in al-Arish said that two bombs were detonated about 15 meters apart from each other using remote-controlled devices.

Six armed men who arrived in the area in two pickup trucks planted the bombs, the witnesses added.

Emergency services workers rushed to the scene to contain the blaze, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The gas pipeline’s operations were suspended after the last bomb attack on February 5, and it was only brought back into service last week.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to the results of an opinion poll conducted by Synovate for Press TV and published on October 3, 2011, an overwhelming majority of Egyptians oppose the terms of the country's gas deal with Israel.

In the poll, seventy-three percent of the respondents said they were opposed to gas exports to Israel. Only 9 percent said they approved of Egypt supplying gas to Israel, and 12 percent had no opinion.

The issue of supplying gas to Israel has always been a contentious topic for Egyptians, who view Israel as an enemy and oppose engaging in any form of business with it.

Egypt had to agree to supply gas to Israel as one of the main economic conditions of the US-sponsored 1979 peace treaty between the two sides.

According to a $2.5 billion export deal with Tel Aviv, signed in 2005, Israel receives around 40 percent of its gas supply from Egypt at an extremely low price.