Egypt deploys 40 tanks to beef up border with Gaza as Rafah offensive looms

The Times of Israel reports: “Egypt has sent about 40 tanks and armored personnel carriers to northeastern Sinai within the past two weeks as part of a series of measures to bolster security on its border with Gaza, two Egyptian security sources said.

The deployment took place ahead of the expansion of Israeli military operations around Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, where much of its population has sought safety, sharpening Egyptian fears that Palestinians could attempt to flee the offensive by attempting to rush the Egyptian border.

Stepped up Israeli airstrikes have pounded the city, with over a million Palestinians crammed into the city awaiting a full-scale offensive with the rest of the enclave in ruins and nowhere left to run.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it had ordered the military to develop a plan to evacuate Rafah and destroy four Hamas battalions it says are deployed there…”

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