A wall commissioned by the Egyptian army is being constructed on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip near the latter’s city of Rafah, which is the target of a planned Israeli ground offensive, the New York Times reported on Friday, having analyzed satellite images and videos and citing construction workers.
The images and videos show that a large area in the buffer zone between Egypt and Rafah, just south of the Rafah border crossing, is being cleared by bulldozers, the newspaper reported, adding that the work on the site had been launched on February 5.
An unnamed contractor and a construction worker confirmed to the media outlet that the Egyptian army had commissioned them to build a 16-foot concrete wall to close off a patch of land of 1.93 square miles. Although the work in the area kicked off at the beginning of the month, construction of the wall was launched just a few days ago, the contractor and the worker told the newspaper.
It is still not known whether the wall is designed to prevent an influx of refugees from the Gaza Strip in Egypt amid the upcoming Israeli offensive in Rafah. The Egyptian government declined to comment on the issue, the report said.
Over the past week, many international leaders have raised concerns over the planned Israeli incursion into Rafah. On Monday, US President Joe Biden said that he opposes any military operation if it does not take into consideration the security of civilians.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel, killing 1,200 and abducting more than 200 others. The attack prompted a retaliatory military operation by Israel, leading to the deaths of more than 28,500 people in the Gaza Strip, according to local authorities.
In November 2023, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The ceasefire expired on December 1, 2023, after several extensions. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
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