Egypt deploys troops in Sinai as fears grow of mass Palestinian displacement

Egypt has reinforced its military presence along the border with Gaza, deploying an estimated 40,000 soldiers in northern Sinai, as concerns grow over the humanitarian and security fallout of Israel’s ongoing offensive.

Security sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Cairo is bracing for the possibility of a mass exodus from Gaza City and northern areas of the enclave, where Israeli forces are pressing deeper into territory still outside their control. Egyptian authorities fear that military operations could push up to one million Palestinians toward southern Gaza, raising the risk of large-scale displacement toward the Rafah border crossing, Caliber.Az reports via Arab media. 

Officials in Cairo view such a scenario as a direct threat to Egypt’s national security, warning it could trigger both humanitarian and security crises in Sinai. According to the sources, Egypt suspects Israel may attempt to exploit the chaos of war to pursue a long-feared policy of transferring Palestinians out of Gaza, first into temporary sites in the south before forcing them toward Egypt.

The Egyptian buildup along the frontier is intended as a signal of Cairo’s categorical rejection of any forced displacement of Palestinians into its territory.

“This is a red line for Egypt,” one source said, stressing that any breach of its sovereignty would not be tolerated.

The Israeli military, responding to reports of Egypt’s increased deployment, said: “In accordance with the military annex to the peace agreement with Egypt, any deployment of military forces and equipment on the Sinai Peninsula is carried out in coordination with the IDF and the political leadership.”

North Sinai has previously been floated by some Israeli and US officials as a potential site for Palestinian relocation — a proposal Cairo has consistently dismissed. 

By Sabina Mammadli