Two Egyptian security sources revealed that Cairo has sent approximately 40 tanks and armored personnel carriers to northeastern Sinai over the past two weeks as part of a series of measures to enhance security along its border with the Gaza Strip. The deployment of these vehicles comes ahead of Israel's plan to expand its military operations to include the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, where most of the Strip's residents have fled in search of safety, raising concerns in Egypt about the potential for Palestinian mass exodus from the area.
Israeli warplanes bombarded Rafah on Friday, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to prepare for the evacuation of displaced persons. Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, Egypt has erected a concrete border wall topped with barbed wire. The two security sources indicated that Egypt has also set up sand barriers and intensified surveillance at border positions.
For its part, United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated on Friday that "civilians in Rafah in the Gaza Strip need protection, but the UN does not want to see any forced mass displacement," following Israel's search for ways to evacuate Palestinian civilians from the area while tackling the remaining Hamas fighters.
