Egypt is building a kind of mega-fence with high walls in the Sinai Desert in case there is an exodus of displaced Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Cairo officials told the Wall Street Journal, saying Egypt would try to limit the number of refugees to around 50-60,000 people, far below the territory's capacity. However, authorities in Cairo deny that they are building the structure.
For weeks, Egypt has been trying to strengthen security on the border by deploying soldiers and tanks to keep the Palestinians out. More than 100,000 people could be housed in the new camp surrounded by concrete walls, Egyptian officials said, adding that a large number of tents that had not yet been erected had also been delivered to the site. Cairo has been trying for weeks to prevent a wave of refugees from flowing across the Egyptian borders and, following the offensive against Hamas, is even threatening to terminate the decades-long peace treaty with Israel if that happens. The fact that Cairo is now moving forward with contingency plans signals that the Egyptian authorities are increasingly aware of this danger. The governor of North Sinai has denied reports of the construction of a refugee camp for Palestinians, saying the activity in the area is part of a project to inventory homes destroyed during Egypt's military campaign against Islamic State extremists in the area.
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