Egypt deploys 40,000 troops to Gaza border in North Sinai
Egypt has deployed 40,000 troops to the Gaza border amid rising concerns that Israel will displace Palestinians from Gaza into North Sinai, according to Middle East Eye on August 19th.
A military source revealed the mobilisation of the additional forces, which compose nearly double the number of soldiers permitted under the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty. He stated that “Egypt’s army is on the highest state of alert we’ve seen in years.”
Such posturing is one of many recent signs of alarm in Cairo regarding a potential military confrontation with Israel. According to DW on February 18th, Egypt similarly increased its military presence near its border with Israel in reaction to US President Donald Trump’s plan to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from Gaza into North Sinai.
At the time, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi warned that “the transfer of Palestinians can’t ever be tolerated or allowed” and that “the solution is not to remove the Palestinian people from their place.”
The military source continued in saying that the deployment followed “direct orders from President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in his capacity as commander-in-chief, following a meeting with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the National Security Council.”
The source explained that “Egypt insists the mobilisation is defensive but has made it equally clear that any strike on its territory would be met with a firm response.”
Armoured vehicles, special forces, air defence systems and M60 battle tanks have been sent to the cities of Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid, as well as al-Joura village near the Gaza border.
The source added that “Egyptian liaison officers informed their Israeli counterparts that the recent measures were purely defensive and aimed at securing the border amid rising tensions.”
He articulated Egypt’s opposition to the Israeli push to dismantle Hamas in Gaza and ethnically cleanse large numbers of Palestinians from the besieged territory.
In an exclusive interview with CNN on August 18th, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty warned that Cairo would resist any Israeli move to displace Palestinians from Gaza. “we will not accept it, we will not participate in it, and we will not allow it to happen.”
The Egyptian troops have been stationed across numerous areas of North Sinai, including “Zone C”, which is adjacent to the Gaza strip. Cairo notified Israel of the deployment, who complained about the size of the force and its deployment to zones in which military presence is prohibited by the 1979 peace treaty.
In mid-July, Tel Aviv proposed various military redeployment plans which would have seen the Israeli military control roughly 40% of the Gaza strip, including within the peace treaty buffer zone in the city of Rafah which prohibits military presence.
According to the Financial Times on August 20th, the Israel Defense Forces announced that it will call up roughly 60,000 reservists in order to seize total control of Gaza city, a move that will inevitably displace thousands of Palestinians to the south of the strip.
However, Egypt’s concerns regarding Israeli military escalation far exceed that of the immense suffering inflicted on Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently stated that he is on a “historic and spiritual mission” to achieve ‘Greater Israel.’
This refers to an expansionist vision where Israel would annex the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula, among portions of other neighbouring states. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry swiftly denounced the comment and recognised it for what it is: a direct threat to Egyptian sovereignty.
Middle East Eye, DW, Maghrebi.org, CNN, Financial Times
Want to chase the pulse of North Africa?
Subscribe to receive our FREE weekly PDF magazine
