AS: The Sinai Foundation obtained exclusive photos of the arrival of new Egyptian military reinforcements near the international border in eastern Sinai
The Egyptian army pushed new forces towards the border area in Rafah during the past few days in light of the tensions witnessed on the Egyptian border with the Gaza Strip following the Israeli incursion into the Palestinian border city of Rafah and the Israeli army’s control of the Rafah land crossing from the Palestinian side, which resulted in the closure of the crossing. The movement of people and relief aid stopped.
Eyewitnesses from the city of Sheikh Zuweid, which is about 15 kilometers from the Rafah land crossing, confirmed to the Sinai Foundation that they observed the passage of about 15 tankers carrying armored tracked vehicles with combat equipment mounted, heading east towards the border via the international road, yesterday evening, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. While two other eyewitnesses told the Sinai Foundation that another armored convoy arrived in the vicinity of the village of Al-Joura, south of Sheikh Zuweid, where it was stationed there.
It is worth noting that previous military reinforcements arrived in the border area last February, when the Egyptian army sent soldiers and military vehicles including armored vehicles and tanks, estimated by Reuters at 40 tanks and armored vehicles.
Eyewitnesses confirm that the largest number of forces that were sent to Rafah a few weeks after the events of October 7, most of which were stationed in areas adjacent to the international road leading to the Rafah land crossing, varied between M60 tanks and 113 tracked armored vehicles and a number of Of the paratroopers carried on jeeps and jeeps carrying Malyutka missile launchers, troop carriers, and troop services tasks. The forces were later deployed in positions along the border line between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, which is approximately 13.5 kilometers from the sea coast in the north to the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south.
It is noteworthy that the majority of the forces that participated in the operations to combat ISIS in Sinai between the years 2013 and 2023 had withdrawn from the areas of Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid during the year 2022 in implementation of the security annex of the Camp David Accords, and were replaced by Border Guard forces, whose numbers were increased according to amendments. On the security annex to the treaty, which was approved by both Egypt and Israel in 2021.
According to the previous data, the nature of the presence of these forces in the border area known as Area C can only take place in accordance with understandings with Israel, as no public Israeli objection was recorded through its political or military leadership, and Israel did not submit any protests to the multinational forces. And international observers, which are the party concerned with monitoring the commitment of the two parties to implementing the security arrangements emerging from the 1979 peace treaty.
