Four sources said that Egypt has begun paving the way for an area on the border with the Gaza Strip that could be used to house Palestinian refugees if an Israeli attack on the city of Rafah in the south of the Strip leads to a mass exodus across the border. 

The sources described this measure as an emergency move by Cairo. Egypt, which denied making any such preparations, has repeatedly sounded the alarm about the possibility that the devastating Israeli attack on Gaza could lead to the exodus of Palestinians to Sinai, something Cairo says is completely unacceptable, repeating warnings issued by Arab countries such as Jordan. 

The United States has also repeatedly said that it will oppose any displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. One of the sources said that Egypt is optimistic that talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire could lead to avoiding such a scenario, but it is working to establish the zone on the border as a temporary and precautionary measure. 

Three security sources said that Egypt has begun paving a desert area and establishing some simple facilities that may be used to house Palestinian refugees, stressing that this is an emergency step.

The sources that Reuters spoke to for this report refused to reveal their identities due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Western press reports revealed that Egypt is building a buffer zone on an area of 20 square kilometers, near its border with the Gaza Strip.

Images taken by Maxar Technologies in the past five days show that a large portion of Egyptian land between the road and the Gaza border has been bulldozed.

If the buffer zone - which extends from the end of the Gaza border to the Mediterranean Sea - is completed, it will completely swallow the Rafah border crossing complex between Egypt and Rafah.

Egyptian officials said that the area being built can accommodate more than 100,000 people and is surrounded by concrete walls, according to the American Wall Street Journal.

The officials added that the construction of this area comes amid fears that the Israeli military incursion into Rafah will lead to an influx of refugees from Gaza.

Additional satellite images show that bulldozers arrived at the site on February 3, and initial excavations in the buffer zone began on February 6. There has been a significant increase in excavations in the past five days.

CNN contacted the Egyptian government to comment on the buffer zone and the construction of the wall.

Sinai Governor explains

North Sinai Governor Muhammad Abdel Fadil Shusha said in statements to reporters on Thursday, “The Egyptian position is clear and frank and was announced by the political leadership immediately after the Israeli war on Gaza, which is not to allow the forced displacement of the residents of Gaza to Egypt permanently.”

He also stressed that his country is prepared for all scenarios in the event that Israel carries out military operations in the Palestinian border governorate.

The governor denied what some media reported about the Egyptian authorities building a security buffer zone surrounded by walls in the Egyptian city of Rafah to receive Palestinians from Gaza, in anticipation of their displacement.

He explained, "What is happening in the regions of East Sinai, specifically in Rafah, is that committees from the governorate inventory the homes that were demolished during the war on terrorism, with the aim of providing appropriate compensation to the owners of these homes."

He also stressed that this operation is not aimed at establishing camps to receive displaced Palestinians, and has nothing to do with what is happening in the Gaza Strip.