Short answers, pulled from the story.
The name Arish first appears in written records during the 9th century. Its ancient predecessor Rinocoroura carries a story of mutilation and exile linked to Persian kings who punished tribes by amputating noses.
Arish sits at the mouth of Wadi al-Arish about 200 kilometers northeast of Cairo and west of the Egypt-Gaza border. It serves as the closest city to Lake Bardawil creating unique ecological conditions for the region.
Ottoman Empire fortifications built in 1560 fell after an 11-day siege on the 19th of February 1799 during the Napoleonic Wars. British bombers destroyed the fort again during World War I before establishing the 45th Stationary Hospital there.
A bomb and gun attack killed 305 people at the mosque in al-Rawda located west of Arish on the 24th of November 2017. Six locals died again on the 9th of February 2021 when Islamic State terrorists attacked the area.
On the 8th of June 1967 during the Six Day War Israeli Defense Forces massacred hundreds of Egyptian prisoners of war near Sinai Peninsula locations. Survivors alleged that approximately 400 wounded Egyptians were buried alive outside the captured El Arish International Airport.