Egypt has bolstered its armed forces along the border with Gaza, amid fears over the possibility of Israel occupying areas still outside its control in Gaza City and the north.
The eastern border has in recent days seen increased Egyptian forces stationed there, due to concerns over the humanitarian and military consequences an Israeli invasion would have.
According to The New Arab’s Arabic language sister publication, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Egyptian authorities expect that military operations will force around one million Palestinians to flee Gaza City toward the southern part of the enclave, which could open the door to deliberate Israeli attempts to push civilians towards the Egyptian border.
An informed Egyptian source told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Cairo views this potential scenario as a direct threat to its national security and would cause a significant humanitarian and security burden to the Sinai area.
Reports further state that Cairo fears that Israel will exploit the chaos resulting from the war and use southern Gaza to complete its policy of forcibly displacing the Palestinian population into a temporary location, before pushing them again to the Rafah crossing.
Sources said Egypt’s move to bolster its forces along the border was an attempt to send a message that they categorically rejects the forced displacement of Palestinians into other countries and to warn against any security breaches on Egyptian territory.
The former Egyptian foreign minister told Al-Araby Al Jadeed, said that Israeli threats of expanding its invasion coupled with right-wing Israeli factions expanding illegal settlement projects has deepened regional tensions.
He stressed that the time has now come for more stringent international action, whether through the Security Council or by imposing economic sanctions on Israel, mirroring what happened during apartheid South Africa.
Hegazy said that Egyptian mediation efforts are still ongoing, and that the foreign minister, Badr Abdel Aaty, has increased his communication with his counterparts regarding the situation in Gaza.
Egypt will remain a "firewall" against any plans to forcibly displace the Palestinian population to Sinai, Hegazy said.
Reports indicate that approximately 40,000 soldiers are now deployed in the northern Sinai area, marking a heightened state of alert.
Armed vehicles, air defence systems, and battle tanks have also been reportedly deployed to Rafah and Sheikh Zuweid areas near the border with Gaza.
This comes after repeated Israeli attempts to force Palestinians out of Gaza to pave the way for full Israeli occupation.
North Sinai was previously floated as a location where Palestinians would be moved to by Israeli and US officials; however Cairo has rejected the idea.
Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump suggested the idea again, which was swiftly shut down by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
"The transfer of Palestinians can’t ever be tolerated or allowed…the solution is not to remove the Palestinian people from their place," Sisi said.