After their detonation, they launched rocket propelled grenades and opened fire on worshippers during the crowded Friday prayer at al-Rawda near Bir al-Abed.

Local residents quickly responded, bringing the wounded to hospitals in their own cars and trucks, and even taking up weapons to fight back.

[3] On 25 November, the Egyptian public prosecutor's office, citing interviews with survivors, said the attackers brandished the Islamic State flag.

[25] Jund al-Islam, an al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group in Sinai who were formerly affiliated with ISIL,[26] declared their innocence and condemned the attack on the al-Rawda mosque.

[29] The Muslim Brotherhood wrote on Twitter and Facebook that it "condemns in the strongest words" the attack and that those responsible should "renounce extremism and violence".

[34] The attack was widely condemned by the international community, with many world leaders issuing official statements and social media posts.

[36] The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights strongly condemned the attacks,[37] and weeks later issued a report that considered the massacre an attempt of genocide against the Sufi Muslim community of the Sinai Peninsula.

A three-day opening of the border crossing into Gaza from Rafah, Egypt, scheduled for 25–27 November, was cancelled due to security concerns.