IANS | 16 Feb, 2024
Egypt is building a wall and is levelling land near its border with
the Gaza Strip ahead of a planned Israeli offensive targeting Rafah
city, satellite images showed on Thursday as quoted by media reports.
Egypt hasn't publicly acknowledged the construction but has
warned Israel not to forcibly expel the Palestinians now displaced in
Rafah into Egypt, The Times of Israel reported.
But the images
from the Egyptian side of the border in the Sinai Peninsula suggest
Cairo is preparing for just that scenario, something that could threaten
its 1979 peace deal with Israel.
Cairo officials did not respond to requests for comment on Friday from media reports.
The
satellite images, taken Thursday by Maxar Technologies, show
construction ongoing on the wall, which sits along the Sheikh
Zuweid-Rafah Road nearly 3.5 km (2 miles) west of the border with Gaza.
The images show cranes, trucks and what appear to be precast concrete barriers being set up along the road.
