The Army of Egypt is on high alert and has deployed 40,000 troops in the Sinai near the Gaza Strip. Citing an Egyptian military source, Middle East Eye reports that 40,000 doubles the 20,000 permitted under the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty. While the figure of 40,000 has not been mentioned before this, the fact that Egypt has increased its forces in the Sinai has been reported in the past year. The reinforcement comes amid fears that Israel will force thousands of Palestinians to flee Gaza. The source said that Egypt’s army is on “the highest state of alert we’ve seen in years.” The deployment followed “direct orders from President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in his capacity as commander-in-chief, following a meeting with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the National Security Council,” the source added.
The source said that Israel wants to dismantle Hamas in Gaza and force large numbers of Palestinians out, a position Egypt rejects. Egypt also notified Israel of the reinforcements, which have been met with complaints about the size of the force and its presence in restricted zones.
Egypt has made clear that the deployment was strictly defensive, but that “any strike on its territory would be met with a firm response,” the source said.
