Egypt’s increased security presence on its border with the Gaza Strip is raising concerns about a possible spillover of the conflict between Israel and Hamas onto its territory. Egyptian authorities have strengthened their security posture in anticipation of a possible Israeli ground operation in Rafah, home to more than half of Gaza’s population, located just steps from the border.
This fortification of the border with Gaza is a precautionary measure before an Israeli ground operation in Rafah, Egyptian security officials told CNN. As part of this reinforcement, Egypt has deployed more troops and equipment in northern Sinai, on the Gaza border.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza risks jeopardizing Israel’s nearly fifty-year-old relationship with a key Arab partner. Egypt has already condemned the movement of Palestinians to the south of the enclave, suggesting it was a plan to expel Gazans and thus end the Palestinian cause. Now Egypt is alarmed as Israel pushes more than a million Palestinians into its territory and prepares for a military operation in Rafah.
Separately, Egypt appears to be creating a large buffer zone and wall along its border with southern Gaza, new satellite images show. These images reveal that a significant part of Egyptian territory between a road and the Gaza border has been bulldozed. At the border itself, numerous cranes are raising sections of the wall.
Additional satellite images reviewed by CNN show that bulldozers arrived on site on February 3, and the first excavations of the buffer zone began on February 6. Excavation activity increased significantly this week.
The Egyptian government has not yet commented on the construction of the buffer zone and the wall.
Checkpoints leading to the Rafah border crossing on the Egyptian side have been reinforced with more troops, and areas around the main road are being prepared for the deployment of tanks and military equipment, a witness told CNN.
Egyptian military helicopters were also seen on the Egyptian side this week, according to a witness in Egypt and videos on social media filmed on the Gaza side.
Egyptian and Israeli officials rarely criticize each other publicly, but Egypt’s foreign ministry spokesperson sharply criticized comments by far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accusing Cairo of being partly responsible for the Hamas attacks against Israel on October 7.
As outside observers, we can see that the region is in turmoil and that the political and security challenges are considerable.. Recent developments between Israel, Egypt and Gaza raise questions about the future of the region and its people.