Posted by: John Phoenix
Egypt has faced criticism for cracking down on Gaza-bound activists carrying aid, while at the same time allowing Israelis to enter freely
(Photo credit: AFP)
Egyptian authorities have heightened security measures in the southern Sinai due to the large number of Israelis who have crossed into the province to flee Iran’s ballistic missile strikes, according to sources cited by Middle East Eye (MEE) on 24 June.
Thousands of Israelis and foreign nationals, including diplomats, have entered Egypt through the Taba crossing with plans to fly out of Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport to various destinations around the world.
Thousands of other Israelis have also remained in the Sinai with hopes of returning to Israel.
“The unforeseen arrival of Israeli nationals has raised the alert level,” Egyptian security sources told MEE.
As a result, Egyptian military reinforcements have deployed around Taba, Dahab, Nuweiba, and Sharm el-Sheikh.
“The authorities are worried that any incitement or attack against an Israeli in Egypt could harm tourism, threaten domestic stability, or worsen the country’s already tense relations with Israel,” one of the security officials told the outlet.
The sources also expressed worry over Tel Aviv’s Mossad intelligence agency taking advantage of the influx to increase the number of its agents in Egypt.
“If their operatives make it to Cairo or Alexandria [Egypt’s second largest city], they could easily conduct surveillance operations or contact collaborators under the guise of tourism,” another one of the sources said.
“There’s no way to monitor them all. If even one Israeli operative sets up a new cell in Egypt, the ramifications can be serious,” the source went on to say.
“We don’t mind Egypt being a transit point for Israelis heading to Europe or the United States. But their presence in Egypt in large numbers and unsupervised poses a serious risk to the country’s national security,” a security analyst is cited as saying.
The influx of Israelis who fled the war with Iran has triggered anger and criticism among Egyptians.
Last week, hundreds of activists from across the world who were trying to march to Gaza via Egypt as part of the Global March to Gaza were attacked, arrested, and deported out of the country. They were part of a group of at least 4,000 activists aiming to break Israel’s siege and deliver humanitarian supplies to Palestinians.
An anonymous Egyptian activist told MEE that it is “outrageous that Israelis can walk into Sinai, but activists carrying medicine and food supplies for Palestinians in distress are turned away.”
Iran’s ballistic missile attacks have devastated infrastructure in Israel, killed dozens, and sent scores more fleeing.
Last week, Haaretz newspaper reported that hundreds of Israelis were planning unauthorized boat trips to Cyprus to escape the war with Iran.
Tel Aviv had banned its citizens from fleeing during wartime, and launched a plan to repatriate Israelis.
While many had fled through Egypt, thousands of others returned to Israel via the Taba crossing and Jordan.
The MEE report comes on the first day of a fragile ceasefire reportedly mediated by Qatar and announced by US President Donald Trump early on Tuesday.
Experts cited by MEE said up to 100,000 Israelis could flood into Egypt if the ceasefire collapses and war resumes between Tel Aviv and Tehran.