Israeli army: Egyptian troop deployment in Sinai is coordinated with Israel

The Israeli army claimed on Monday that the military reinforcements Egypt is sending to North Sinai near the Gaza border “are being coordinated with the Israeli army and the political leadership, in line with the military annex of the peace agreement between the two countries.”

According to the Israeli public broadcaster Kan 11, the statement came amid reports of large Egyptian troop build-ups in the border area close to Gaza, driven by Cairo’s fears of a mass influx of Palestinians into Egyptian territory.

The channel reported that the reinforcements amount to around 40,000 Egyptian soldiers, along with the deployment of armoured vehicles in North Sinai. This coincides with Israel’s preparations for launching “Gideon Chariots 2”, an operation aimed at occupying and storming Gaza City.

Egyptian security assessments suggest that any new ground invasion of northern areas could force around one million Palestinians to flee from northern and central Gaza towards the south, raising concerns that Israel may attempt to push these displaced civilians towards the Egyptian border.

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