Egypt has placed tanks on the border with the Gaza Strip

According to information published by The Times of Israel, Egypt has stationed tanks and armored vehicles near the Rafah checkpoint on the border with the Gaza Strip. Photos from the scene show the presence of “dozens of vehicles.”

The reason for such actions on the part of Egypt is the fear of an influx of tens of thousands of refugees from the Gaza Strip due to military clashes between Israel and Hamas. However, Egypt has pledged to continue allowing humanitarian aid trucks into the enclave.

According to Al-Ahram newspaper, the Rafah crossing will be opened on November 1 to receive the affected Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. 150 ambulances have already been prepared to transport victims, but the exact number of people being evacuated has not been specified.

The Rafah point is the only place left after the escalation of the conflict for the withdrawal of people from the Gaza Strip to the Sinai Peninsula and the importation of food. Since the beginning of October, the point has been closed several times due to shelling, although Egyptian authorities declared it open. Roads on the Palestinian side were also damaged by the bombing.

According to the AP, Israeli intelligence has developed a plan to resettle 2.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip to the Sinai Peninsula after the start of the war with Hamas. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has not yet taken this document seriously. Earlier, the Financial Times reported that the prime minister was trying to convince European leaders to put pressure on Egypt to accept refugees, but the proposal did not receive support from Germany and France.

More than 1.4 million residents of the Gaza Strip have been forced to flee their homes since the outbreak of hostilities between Hamas and Israel, according to the UN.