The Jihadi Shura Council (JSC) called on Sinai tribes to avenge their dead, after five people were reported killed in an alleged Israeli drone strike in Sinai on Friday, in a new document received by Egypt Independent.
The council, based in Jerusalem, described the Sinai tribes as "proud," calling the deceased “heroes” from the Ansar Beit al-Maqdes jihadi group. They demanded their supporters launch a deterrent against Israel in response to the strike.
The JSC released a statement, received by Egypt Independent, under the title: "A statement about the treacherous Jewish raid on Sinai."
"This treacherous raid would not have taken place if it weren’t for the coordination of the Israeli Defence Forces and collusion of the Egyptian army," it claimed.
Colonel Ahmed Ali, Egyptian armed forces spokesperson, meanwhile claimed there was coordination between the Muslim Brotherhood and militants in Sinai.
"The Jihadi Shura Council is a derivative of Hamas, and as it is widely known, Hamas is part of the Muslim Brotherhood," he told Egypt Independent in response to the JSC statement. "There is coordination between the Brotherhood and what the militants are doing in Sinai through Hamas."
He added that terrorist attacks and threats are aimed at destabilizing the country.
"Before the ouster of Mohamed Morsy, JSC had not carried out any terrorist attacks or issued any threats like the ones we are seeing now," he added.
The JSC statement also criticized the Egyptian army for its conduct following Morsy's ouster on 3 July.
It accused the army of killing civilians during prayers in the squares of Cairo and Alexandria, as well as facilitating hits on jihadi groups in the Sinai.
The JSC statement marked Israel as the chief enemy of Egyptians and Muslims, condemning the "infidel rulers" for occupying Palestine and killing "their finest jihadis" inside Egyptian territory.
The council meanwhile offered its condolences to the families of the victims, demanding Sinai tribes avenge their deaths.
Four jihadis belonging to Ansar Jerusalem in Sinai were killed in a drone strike on Friday.
Authorities said the group was preparing a missile attack on Israeli territory.
While sources stated the drone belonged to Israel, Egypt's military spokesperson said Israeli forces did not penetrate Egyptian airspace.
