Egypt sets up second camp for displaced Palestinians in Gaza

Egypt has begun setting up a new refugee camp for displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis, the largest city in Gaza’s south, with a 400-tent capacity, as the Israeli onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip has continued for the fifth month, claiming the lives of over 30,000 people.

The Egyptian Red Crescent has been coordinating with the Palestinian Red Crescent to launch the camp expected to accommodate 4000 people, equipping it with electricity, bathrooms, and other necessities, the Egyptian Satellite TV channel Al QAhera News reported on Saturday.

Egypt is also due to establish a field hospital in the Palestinian part of Rafah City in south Gaza, bordering Egypt’s North Sinai, and a relief camp in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, the report added.

No further details were immediately available as to when the camp will be ready for receiving Palestinians. 

Egypt had earlier last month founded a similar camp, also in Khan Younis, to host 3,000 Palestinians.  

Rafah remains the largest urban area in Gaza yet to be stormed by Israeli forces, acting as a last refuge for Palestinians seeking even a modicum of safety from Israel’s war.

Both the Egyptian and Gazan sides are called Rafah City, split by the Rafah Border Crossing through which aid supplies and relief efforts flow into Gaza.

Many now fear that a military assault, of the type witnessed in Gaza City and Khan Younis, will focus on Rafah and could become a humanitarian breaking point, given the huge number of civilians crammed into such a small urban area. 

On 1 February, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared that the Israeli army had completed the mission of dismantling the Hamas faction in Khan Younis and would turn its attention towards Rafah.

On the other hand, Egypt has been concerned over a probable massive displacement of Palestinians in Gaza into the Egyptian side of Rafah city in North Sinai province.

Unconfirmed news reports have frequently pointed to the construction of a buffer zone underway on the Egyptian border with Gaza, where concrete walls have reportedly been being built in preparation for a possible influx of Palestinians amid Cairo’s official denial.

In recent weeks, a large number of Egyptian troops, mostly special forces and commandos, had reportedly been deployed in Egypt's Rafah, as unofficial reports had earlier indicated that some 40 tanks had been positioned in and around the border area.