Israeli tanks spotted on Gaza-Egypt border atop hills, sources say

Several Israeli Merkava tanks were spotted on the border between Egypt and Gaza, visible in areas opposite villages south of Rafah, tribal sources told The New Arab’s Arabic language sister publication, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

The sources indicated that some hills and elevated areas have been built for the tanks to be stationed on, noting that the tanks are constantly moving along the border throughout the day.

The sources also said that Egyptian border guard forces do not have any heavy machinery in the areas and only have four-wheel drive vehicles in the location.

The sighting comes amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza and accusations from Cairo and Tel Aviv against each other of violating the 1979 peace agreement.

Last month, Egyptian parliament member Mustafa Bakri submitted a briefing request to Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdel Aati regarding the Israeli government’s violation of the peace agreement signed between Egypt and Israel by seizing numerous parts of the Gaza Strip since the start of the war.

Meanwhile, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz last month held high-level discussions with Israeli officials over what he called "Egyptian violations", referring to Egyptian military infrastructure in the Sinai Peninsula.

An Israeli official at the time claimed that Egypt was "violating" the peace agreement by strengthening its military capabilities, calling on Egypt to dismantle any military infrastructure in Sinai.

The Egyptian army reinforced its military forces in various areas over the past few months, according to Israeli media reports, while Israeli forces have been deployed along the border between Gaza and Egypt since May 2024.

This comes as Israel’s war on Gaza continues to rage on, with over 61,700 Palestinians killed since October 2023, Gaza’s government media office states.

The war has plunged Gaza into a deep humanitarian crisis and levelled entire neighbourhoods, as well as putting tens of thousands of children at risk of long-term illnesses and malnutrition.