Watan-With circulating information indicating that Israel has threatened to send ground forces to combat the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in Rafah, where over a million Palestinian civilians seek refuge, activists on social media have been sharing images they claim to be of Egyptian tanks along the border with Gaza.

This comes after reports of Egypt deploying nearly 40 tanks and armored vehicles in northeastern Sinai in recent weeks to fortify its position along the border.

However, it turns out that these images have no connection to recent Egyptian deployments along the Gaza border but are instead from months and years past.

Amid fears of an Israeli military operation in Rafah on the border with Egypt, these images, purported to be recent, circulated.

Old Photos

According to the “Arabic Fact-Checking Service” at “France Presse,” these images are actually old and have no relevance to current fears of an Israeli ground assault on Rafah.

The images show military equipment including tanks, armored vehicles, missile launchers, and fighter jets. The accompanying comments suggest these images depict the transfer of heavy Egyptian equipment and weapons to the border with Gaza. Escalating Fears

The first image, showing armored carriers, was published by the Associated Press in 2012, taken in the area of Arish, specifically on August 9 of that year.

The second image was published by Arab news websites in 2017, specifically on July 23 of that year, alongside news of the opening of a military base in Egypt.

These publications come as fears escalate of an Israeli ground assault on Rafah, which is home to 1.4 million people.

The possibility of such an attack raises significant concern abroad, even from the United States, the biggest ally of the Zionist entity. America opposes widescale operations without ensuring the safety of civilians trapped on the closed border with Egypt in the far south of the besieged enclave.

Preventing a Humanitarian Disaster

On Tuesday, China called on Israel to halt its military operation as soon as possible and make every effort to avoid civilian casualties… to prevent a more dangerous humanitarian disaster in the Rafah area.

On Monday, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said the world “cannot bear the consequences of an Israeli attack” on Rafah, noting the “unsustainable situation for over a million people pushed towards (this border city with Egypt) since the war began.”

He added during his meeting with US President Joe Biden: “We must work with our Arab brothers and the international community to intensify efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and immediately begin working towards a political horizon leading to a just and comprehensive peace – according to the two-state solution.”