ISIS Claims Blasts in 2 Egypt Churches That Killed at Least 44

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At least 44 people were killed and 100 others injured on Sunday in a powerful bomb blast inside a church in Tanta and near a church in Alexandria in Egypt, officials said.

The explosion took place in Mar Gerges Coptic church in Tanta, about 120 kilometres from Cairo, said an undersecretary of Health Ministry in Gharbiya governorate.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has ordered the opening of military hospitals to receive the injured. At least 44 people have been killed and several others injured, an official said, adding that 26 ambulances were sent to the spot.

Death toll is expected to rise, officials said.

Islamic State claimed the responsibility of the attacks.

Sources said that the explosion took place inside the Mar Gerges Coptic Church.

The primary investigations suggest that a person put an explosive device inside the church during the Christian prayers celebrating the Palm Sunday, the sources said.

Egypt’s Christian minority has often been targeted by Islamist militants. Egypt has seen a wave of attacks by militants since 2013 when the military overthrew president Mohammed Morsi, an elected leader who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, and launched a crackdown against Islamists.

Palm Sunday falls on the Sunday before the Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels.

Coptic Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population of 85 million.

Suicide Bombing Outside Alexandria Church

A suicide bomber killed at least two people and injured 21 in front of a church in Alexandria, Egypt on Sunday, state television said.

Pope Tawadros, who had attended mass at Saint Mark's Cathedral, was still in the building at the time of the explosion but was not harmed, the Ministry of Interior said.

The bombings come as Islamic State's branch in Egypt appears to be stepping up attacks and threats against Christians.

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