According to Egyptian military sources, an Egyptian technical engineering committee has finished surveying the homes that are located between 500-1,000 meters from the Gaza border.
In November, Egypt decided to extend its security buffer zone on its border with Gaza from 500 meters to one kilometer.
Citing security officials, Egypt’s MENA state news agency said on November 17 that the decision had been taken “after the discovery of underground tunnels with a total length of 800 to 1,000 meters” along the border with Gaza.
An October 24 attack on an Egyptian army checkpoint in the volatile Sinai Peninsula, which left dozens of soldiers dead, further pushed the Egyptian officials to implement the plan.
Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, which recently pledged allegiance to the ISIL Takfiri terrorists, claimed responsibility for the attack in Sinai, which has long been considered a safe haven for gunmen who use the region as a base for their acts of terror.
The Egyptian government has ordered the area’s 10,000 residents to pack up and leave before they see their homes demolished.
An Egyptian military source said 200 families had accepted compensation to abandon their homes, while there are still 680 more families facing impending expulsion.
The forced evacuations have angered residents of the border areas.
The Egyptian military has stepped up surveillance of activities through the tunnels into Gaza since it Mohamed Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected president, was ousted in a coup in July 2013.
The underground routes are the only lifeline for Gazans living under the blockade. Palestinians use the tunnels to bring essential supplies, such as foodstuff, cooking gas, medicines, petrol, and livestock, into the impoverished land.
