Egyptian officials and security analysts told the Wall Street Journal that as part of contingency plans, work is underway on a 20 square kilometer walled enclosure near the Gaza Strip that could house over 100,000 people.
The Egyptian officials said, however, that Egypt would try to limit the number of Palestinians in the walled area to 50,000 to 60,000 if large numbers of refugees flee the Strip.
The officials added that Palestinians would be barred from leaving the area — which is not close to any Egyptian towns — unless leaving for another country, and that travel restrictions in northern Sinai would be tightened.
The local governor denied a refugee camp was being constructed, asserting to the Journal that the work was part of a damage assessment from past Egyptian military operations against Islamic State jihadists in Sinai. READ MORE
