The attack occurred during a period of heightened security on Israel 's southern border following a series of Palestinian militant attacks two weeks prior launched from Egyptian territory and a spate of rocket attacks from Gaza . The Israeli Defense Forces reported that they had upgraded their presence along the border with Egypt after receiving intelligence warning of a possible attack by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad ( PIJ )
a series of Palestinian militant attacks
2011 southern Israel cross-border attacks
2011 Tel Aviv nightclub attack