St. George Church, El-Arish

On the morning of Thursday, 30 June 2016, Fr. Raphael Moussa, priest of St. George Church in El-Arish, was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in El-Arish, North Sinai. The Egyptian Ministry of Interior and the Coptic Orthodox Church officially announced the news. The group "Ansar Beit al-Maqdis - Sinai Province" (ISIS affiliate) claimed responsibility, stating he was targeted with 9mm pistols and an automatic weapon. Fr. Raphael had been ordained in the same class as his friend Fr. Mina Aboud, who was martyred three years earlier in the same city.