Two Egyptian security sources stated that Cairo has sent around 40 tanks and armoured personnel carriers to northeast Sinai in the past two weeks as part of a series of measures to enhance security along its borders with the Gaza Strip. Forces are deployed ahead of Israel expanding its military operations to include the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, where most of the Strip’s population has fled in search of a haven, exacerbating Egypt’s fears of the possibility of Palestinians being collectively forced out of the Strip. Israeli warplanes bombed Rafah on Friday, 9 February, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the army to prepare a plan for the evacuation of civilians in Rafah ahead of military operation. After the outbreak of war on 7 October, Egypt erected a concrete border wall extending six meters into the ground and topped with barbed wire, as reported by Sky News Arabia. Additionally, Egypt has constructed berms and bolstered surveillance at border posts. Sources told AP on Sunday, 11 February, that Egypt is warning of the potential suspension of its peace treaty with Israel if Israeli troops are deployed into the…
Reports Indicate Rising Security Presence on the Gaza-Egyptian Border
February 11, 2024
