Egypt Threatens To Bolster Troops on Gaza Border if Palestinians Flee Strip
Egypt is signaling readiness to significantly expand its military presence along the border with the Gaza Strip if mass displacement of Palestinians occurs, according to a report by the Lebanese daily Al Akhbar. The newspaper, citing anonymous sources, said Cairo could double the number of soldiers in Sinai within 72 hours of such an event and deploy heavy weapons and helicopters.
Such a move would challenge the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty, which requires Israeli approval for changes in troop levels and the transfer of heavy arms to the peninsula. An Egyptian military source told the paper that the plan aims to deter Israel from pushing Palestinians across the border.
The official added that contingency orders include refraining from firing on Palestinians approaching the frontier and handling the situation “exclusively according to humanitarian standards.” At the same time, the source described potential displacement as a “direct threat to Egyptian national security” that would require a new military posture.
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The report also noted Egyptian dissatisfaction with what it said were repeated Israeli claims that drones are being used to smuggle weapons into Gaza through Egypt. Cairo, according to the newspaper, has raised its concerns with American officials.
Al Akhbar quoted the military source as saying that any escalation would be designed as a deterrent to Israel, with the transfer of additional troops and equipment meant to signal Cairo’s unwillingness to accept a forced population shift.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reiterated this position in an interview with CNN last month, declaring that mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza is a “red line.” He stressed, “We will not accept it, we will not participate in it, and we will not allow it to happen.” Abdelatty added that Egypt continues to work through multiple channels to ease the suffering of Palestinians while safeguarding its own national security.
