Watan-The channel “Russia Today” published a number of pictures it obtained of the final preparations for the new city of Rafah in northern Sinai, which includes more than 10,000 housing units. The channel quoted Egyptian official sources claiming that there is no connection between that city and the events in Gaza or the threats of attack on Palestinian Rafah.
Rafah is the location of the Rafah border crossing, the sole crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. The Egyptian government announced in early 2015 its intention to demolish the entire city and build a new settlement for its residents to expand the security barrier between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. According to reports, the Egyptian army began excavating parts of Rafah in late 2014.
The Egyptian government has already begun work on it since 2018 by decision of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as part of the Sinai development plan.
The Russian channel quoted Egyptian sources denying what has been circulated on some social media platforms, that Egypt is preparing the new city of Rafah to accommodate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. The sources affirmed that this is baseless and is part of the rumors targeting the Egyptian state.
Many have speculated on social media about the statements of Egyptian officials and have raised the possibility of the implementation of the “Deal of the Century” and the relocation of Palestinians to Sinai following a possible Israeli attack on Rafah.
This scenario is being considered alongside the sudden influx of billions of dollars from the International Monetary Fund and several international entities to the Sisi regime, in addition to the “Deal of the Century,” during the recent period, temporarily saving the state from the catastrophic crisis caused by Sisi’s decisions.
Sisi signaled the start of the construction of the new city of Rafah and the city of Salam Egypt in North Sinai on March 1, 2018.
More than 10,000 housing units have been established
The city of “New Rafah” was established as an alternative to the old city of Rafah, and its data indicates that it includes more than 10,000 housing units, in addition to 400 Bedouin houses, and all the services required in any modern city. The first phase includes 1,400 completed housing units out of a total of about 4,500 units in the first phase.
In June 2015, Egypt completed digging a trench at the Rafah crossing, 20 meters wide and 10 meters deep. It is located two kilometers from the border with Gaza outside the city of Rafah and is part of the expanded buffer zone. Plans were made to expand the trench with observation towers.
In November 2021, Egypt and Israel signed an agreement allowing Egypt to increase its military presence in Rafah.
“Muhammad Abdul Fadil Shusha,” the governor of North Sinai, announced earlier that the new city of Rafah would be offered for subscription to citizens during the governorate’s celebration of the national day on April 25.
Shusha emphasized that the first priority in implementation would be for the people of Rafah, and the second priority would be for the people of Sheikh Zuweid, indicating the political leadership’s and all state institutions’ interest in the development and reconstruction of Sinai through the implementation of a number of national projects in various cities of the governorate.
Evacuation orders
In October last year, following Hamas attacks, the Israeli army issued evacuation orders for many residents of Gaza, numbering 2.3 million, and asked them to head south.
This was followed by multiple evacuation orders, and current estimates indicate that more than 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge in the southern city of Rafah and its surroundings, leading to an increase in its population to 280,000 before the war.
According to the British newspaper “The Guardian,” many of the people currently living in Rafah, located on the southern border of Gaza with Egypt, are living in temporary tents.
Satellite images taken by Planet Labs on October 13 and January 14 show a significant increase in tents around the city.
Analysis of satellite data reveals that there is not much left for these people to return to other places in Gaza.