God's people are again on the move in Egypt—not much different from the events that happened during Moses' time as written in the book of Exodus.
While the Israelites at that time were fleeing slavery from the Pharaoh, today the Christians in Egypt's North Sinai province are fleeing from the campaign of genocide being waged by the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group.
Hundreds of Coptic Christians have reportedly left their homes in el-Arish, the capital of North Sinai, following the spate of killings targeting Christians.
Reporters from Reuters saw at least 25 families from el-Arish upon their arrival at the Evangelical Church in Sinai in the city of Ismailia on the Suez Canal.
Church officials told the news agency that 100 of the roughly 160 families in North Sinai were fleeing, and that more than 200 students studying in el-Arish have also left.
Rana Mina, one of the Christians who have fled el-Arish, said she's "not going to wait for death." This was in reaction reports that ISIS militants have killed seven Christians in since Jan. 30.
"I shut down my restaurant and got out of there. These people are ruthless," Mina added.
On Thursday, the seventh killing took place when a Christian plumber was shot to death in front of his wife and children in their home in el-Arish, according to ABC News.
Earlier, the ISIS released a video threatening all Christians in Egypt. The terrorist group is believed to have masterminded the bombing of a chapel adjoining Cairo's St. Mark's Cathedral, the seat of the Coptic pope, in December. The bombing killed at least 28 people.
A priest said the mass departure of Christians from el-Arish is unprecedented in size. "You feel like this is all meant to force us to leave our homes. We became like refugees," he said.
As previously reported, a 50-year-old Coptic Christian teacher on his way to school was shot in the head by two militants on a motorbike, authorities said on Wednesday.
On Feb. 19, suspected militants also reportedly shot dead a veterinarian also in el-Arish.
Last month, in a span of two weeks, five Coptic Christians were killed in a series of brutal attacks in Egypt. All of them reportedly had their throats slashed.
Egypt is ranked as the 21st worst nation persecuting Christians, according to Open Doors USA's 2017 World Watch List.
