Egypt Says Troop Presence in Sinai to Secure Borders

CAIRO, Xinhua: Egypt has stressed that the presence of its forces in the Sinai Peninsula, bordering the Gaza Strip and Israel, is primarily to secure the country’s borders and is coordinated under the 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

“The forces in the Sinai Peninsula mainly aim to secure the Egyptian borders against all risks, including acts of terror and smuggling,” Egypt’s State Information Service (SIS), a government body, said in a statement.

It added that the deployment comes “within the framework of prior coordination” with parties of the treaty.

The SIS statement came after recent Israeli media reports claiming that Egypt has been expanding its military presence in Sinai, including extending runways at airbases and building new facilities, saying it could breach restrictions under the 1979 peace treaty.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed over 65,200 Palestinians and injured around 166,000 others, while causing massive destruction to infrastructure and worsening humanitarian conditions, according to Gaza’s health authorities.

Israel is currently expanding its operations in the war-torn enclave, saying it is targeting Hamas militants.

“Egypt reasserts its full rejection of the expansion of the military operations in Gaza and the displacement of the Palestinians from their lands,” the SIS said.