According to arabworld301’s telegram channel, Egypt is reportedly preparing an area near the Gaza Strip border to potentially accommodate a large number of refugees. This preparation is allegedly in anticipation of a potential large-scale operation by the Israeli Defence Forces in Rafah. This information is accompanied by satellite images from Maxar.
The images reveal that a considerable space is being cleared by engineering equipment, which could potentially be used for setting up temporary living quarters for refugees fleeing from Gaza.
However, the Egyptian government has consistently denied these reports. It reiterated that it is not prepared to accept a large influx of refugees from Gaza and refuted claims that the Sinai Peninsula is being readied for refugees from Rafah.
The human rights organization, Sinai for Human Rights, reported on February 15th that a camp is under construction on the eastern side of the Sinai Peninsula. This camp is reportedly being built in anticipation of a mass exodus of Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip and a potential breach of the border. The camp will be surrounded by a seven-meter high concrete wall and is being built on the site of former houses in the Egyptian part of Rafah city. These houses were previously destroyed during a military campaign against Wilayat Sinai, which is the Egyptian branch of the Islamic State terrorist group. The construction process is being carried out by companies associated with the Egyptian regime, with the current stage of construction involving the removal of construction debris leftover from the demolished buildings. This phase of leveling the site is expected to take approximately 10 days.
Muhammad Sabri, a researcher and expert in Egyptian and Sinai security, has noted that such a large-scale project would unlikely have commenced without the approval of Israel and the United States. He suggests that this could potentially indicate that Egypt is indeed prepared to accept refugees.
