The Israeli Bureau of Counterterrorism issued an alert on Saturday morning, summoning any Israelis currently holidaying in the Sinai peninsula to return. There was a "critical and imminent threat" of rockets being launched from Gaza, it said.

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The announcement came a day after the Popular Resistance Committee (PRC) in Gaza denied that a Grad missile that struck the southern Israeli resort of Eilat, adjacent to the Sinai, two weeks ago was launched by their armed wing.

PRC spokesman Abu al-Hasan told reporters in Gaza on Friday that Israel is seeking justification as a "preliminary step" to launching another attack on jihadist fighters in the Gaza strip and thus on the Strip itself.

He said that the PRC’s policy is to operate within Palestinian territory only and that this strategy has remained unchanged.

For its part, Egypt also launched an anti-terror offensive in the Sinai peninsula two weeks ago, to prevent the gas pipeline serving Israel and Jordan from suffering another attack.

Israeli intelligence officials have expressed fears that following the fall of Hosni Mubarak, terrorist activity is increasing in the Sinai peninsula.

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