Egypt has raised its military’s level of preparedness in north Sinai, ahead of the looming “Israeli” offensive on the border city of Rafah in Gaza after ordering parts of the population early Monday to evacuate the city – per Egyptian security sources cited by Reuters.

Earlier today, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) initiated the evacuation of citizens living east of Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip, urging them to move to the Al-Mawasi area in anticipation of an imminent invasion.

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The Israeli Occupation has been pushing for months for Egypt to accept a military operation in the city of Rafah near its border with Gaza to secure it, specifically near the Philadelphi Corridor - a narrow strip of land situated along the Gazan-Egyptian border.

“It must be strictly emphasized that any Israeli move in this direction will lead to a serious threat to Egyptian-Israeli relations,” said Diaa Rashwan in response at the time, the chairman of Egypt’s State Information Service.

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Egyptian officials, with Sisi at the helm, have repeatedly warned against the pile-up of internally displaced Palestinians near their border with Gaza, and have told the United States of the grave security risks it would pose if they were pushed into the Sinai peninsula.

Any transfer of displaced Palestinians would “rupture” relations between the both sides, one Egyptian official said.

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