Egyptian- Israeli coordination over Taba explosions

The Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon announced that he had agreed with the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in a telephone call to intensify efforts and cooperation between their two countries to fight what he called "terrorism." Sharon indicated he had telephoned Mubarak to thank him for the aid given by the Egyptian rescue aid to rescue the wounded Israelis at the site of the explosions.

Mubarak responded to Sharon's request to permit the Israeli ambulances to enter the Egyptian territories to transport the wounded. Mubarak also permitted sending a plane to the area of the explosion to help in transporting the wounded and evacuating the bodies of the killed.

Taba, which overlooks al-Aqba Gulf is the last part of Sinai Israel returned to Egypt in 1989, according to the peace agreement signed in 1979. This area attracts every year scores of thousands of Israeli tourists.