Egypt, which has not publicly acknowledged the construction, has repeatedly warned Israel of the consequences of forcibly expelling more than a million displaced Palestinians now residing in Rafah to its territory.
The Israeli Defense Minister said that his country “has no intention” of pushing Palestinian civilians across the border into Egypt. However, preparations on the Egyptian side of the border in the Sinai Peninsula suggest that Cairo is preparing for such a mass expulsion, a scenario that could threaten the Arab country's 1979 peace agreement with Israel that served as a linchpin for regional security.
Satellite images of the construction of a new fenced buffer zone on the Egyptian side of the Gaza border in Rafah. credit: AP
In recent Israeli raids across Gaza, at least 67 Palestinians were killed, including in areas where civilians were asked to take refuge.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah said it received 44 bodies after several raids on central Gaza. Bodies were seen arriving in ambulances and private vehicles.
Doctors Without Borders said that two people were also killed when a shelter housing its employees in the Gaza Strip was bombed during an Israeli operation in an area where Palestinians were asked to seek shelter.
The attack occurred in Al-Mawasi, an undeveloped sandy area along the coast that has been converted into a sprawling camp with few basic services.
A person inspects his damaged home after Israeli airstrikes in Rafah, Gaza. credit: GT
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage.
About a quarter of the 130 prisoners still being held are believed to be dead.
In response, Israel destroyed much of the Palestinian territories.
The Gaza Ministry of Health estimates that more than 29,000 Palestinians were killed.
A temporary camp in which Palestinians who were displaced due to the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip live.credit: AP
AP, Bloomberg
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