Priest: Christians Flee Egypt Town After Threats A Coptic Christian priest in Egypt says Christians have fled their homes in a northern Sinai town after receiving threats from suspected Islamic militants. Father Youssef Sobhi says Islamic militants have verbally threatened seven Christian families in the town of Rafah on the Egypt-Gaza-Israel border. One shop owner came under fire by masked militants, Sobhi told the AP on the phone Thursday. The families sought refuge in the town of El-Arish. He said local authorities have not adequately protected Christians on the Sinai Peninsula, where Islamic radicals have gained influence after the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising last year. Sobhi also said militants fired at The Holy Family Church in the northern Sinai. The church is built on the site where Christians believe the Holy Family first stopped to rest after crossing into Egypt.