Egypt mobilises 40,000 troops in Sinai amid Gaza displacement fears, source says

Military official tells MEE Egyptian army is on ‘the highest state of alert we’ve seen in years’ as Israel prepares to occupy Gaza

Egyptian soldiers stand guard during a visit by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli to the Rafah crossing border on 31 October 2023 (AFP/Khaled Desouki)

Egyptian soldiers stand guard during a visit by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli to the Rafah crossing border on 31 October 2023 (AFP/Khaled Desouki)

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Egypt has deployed additional forces along the border with Gaza amid rising fears that Israel’s planned occupation of the strip could push Palestinians into North Sinai, a senior military source told Middle East Eye.

He said that about 40,000 soldiers are now deployed in North Sinai, almost double the number allowed under the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace treaty.

“Egypt’s army is on the highest state of alert we’ve seen in years,” the source said.

This 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,” he added.

He said that Israel wants to dismantle Hamas in Gaza and force large numbers of Palestinians out, a position Egypt rejects.

Egyptian forces are now stationed across various parts of North Sinai, including in “Zone C,” the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip, he added.

Egypt notified Israel of the reinforcements, which have been met with complaints about the size of the force and its presence in restricted zones.

“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,” the source said.

Armoured vehicles, air defence systems, special forces and M60 battle tanks have been deployed to the nearby Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid cities and around al-Joura village near the border with Gaza.

“Egyptian liaison officers informed their Israeli counterparts that the recent measures were purely defensive and aimed at securing the border amid rising tensions,” the source added.

A red line

Earlier this month, North Sinai Governor Khaled Megawer issued a firm warning against any potential Israeli attacks against Egypt.

Speaking to the media from the Rafah border crossing, in response to questions about the possibility of confrontation with Israel, Megawer said: “Anyone who thinks of approaching our border will be met with an unexpected and outrageous response.”

Megawer, who previously served as an army general and head of military intelligence, made the remarks amid growing concern that Israel’s planned occupation of Gaza will lead to a mass displacement crisis.

Since the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, there have been reported attempts to forcibly displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip.

North Sinai has long been floated as a possible destination for displaced Palestinians, an idea that has resurfaced multiple times over the decades. Cairo, however, continues to view such a scenario as a red line.

Earlier this year, speculation reignited when US President Donald Trump suggested that Egypt and Jordan should accept Palestinians fleeing the war.

'The coming days will likely test both Egypt's security preparations and its diplomatic capacity'

- Egyptian political analyst

Egypt’s response was unequivocal.

“The transfer of Palestinians can’t ever be tolerated or allowed,” President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said at the time. “The solution is not to remove the Palestinian people from their place.”

That sentiment is strongly echoed in North Sinai, where communities have lived on the same land for generations and view the forced displacement of Palestinians as both unjust and destabilising.

“Our land carries the graves of our ancestors, and we can never share it with anyone,” a 78-year-old tribesman in Sheikh Zuweid, who asked to remain anonymous, told MEE.

In April, MPs and tribal leaders gathered in El-Arish city, the capital of North Sinai, to formalise their stance that Sinai should never become an alternative homeland for Palestinians fleeing Gaza.

Sheikh Salama al-Ahmar of the al-Tarabin tribe said: “We stand with Gaza, but not at the expense of Sinai’s land or Egypt’s sovereignty.”

The imminent Israeli escalation in Gaza has raised questions about how Egypt would respond to large-scale displacement attempts or increased military activity near the Rafah border crossing, Gaza’s only gateway to the outside world besides Israel.

“The coming days will likely test both Egypt's security preparations and its diplomatic capacity to help manage the Gaza crisis without compromising its own strategic interests,” a political analyst told MEE, requesting anonymity.

“An Israeli offensive of this magnitude could trigger a humanitarian catastrophe, forcing Palestinians to flee Gaza en masse, a scenario Israel may be counting on to depopulate Gaza and weaken Hamas permanently,” the analyst added.

Economic ties despite tensions

Despite widespread public sympathy for the Palestinian cause, Egypt and Israel have maintained strong ties since signing their US-brokered peace treaty in 1979. Egypt was the first Arab country to normalise relations with Israel.

Under the treaty, the Sinai Peninsula was divided into zones with strict limits on the deployment of troops and heavy weaponry.

Over the years, exceptions have been negotiated, particularly after Egypt’s 2011 revolution, when the military increased its presence to combat insurgents in Sinai.

While political rhetoric between Israel and Egypt has often been cautious, security and economic cooperation have steadily deepened.

Police station stormed in Egypt as outrage over Gaza blockade reaches boiling point

A recent large-scale gas import deal with Israel has sparked controversy in Egypt, as it was signed amid Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, which has killed over 62,000 Palestinians.

“Cairo adopts a hard line against Israel over Gaza and the Palestinian issue, while maintaining pragmatic economic relations,” a former general intelligence officer and national security expert told MEE, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Those ties include importing Israeli gas to meet domestic demand and re-exporting surplus to Europe, as well as cooperation under the Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ) agreement.

“Egypt also continues to benefit from US military aid under the peace treaty, while playing a key mediating role in Gaza, a position that strengthens Cairo’s regional and international standing,” he added.

However, the genocide has pushed bilateral relations to one of their lowest points in decades.

Cairo sees Israel’s campaign as a threat to border stability, a blow to its mediation efforts, and a potential risk to the durability of the peace treaty.

A key point of contention is Israel’s control of the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip along the Egypt–Gaza border seized in May 2024.

Egypt argues the move violates the peace treaty, while Israel claims it is a necessary buffer to prevent arms smuggling.

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