RAFAH, Egypt — Insecurity and armed attacks on police and army are on the rise in Egypt’s North Sinai, a restive flashpoint region that shares borders with both Israel and the Gaza Strip.

CAIRO — After eight decades of building grassroots political networks, suffering persecution and even executions, and later rising to lead parliament, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood may be watching its hard-earned dream of ruling the country slip away. In the past week, the Muslim Brotherhood has taken hit after hit. Some analysts say it will be difficult for the grassroots organization to recover.