Egyptian authorities, concerned about a potential Israeli military advance into southern Gaza causing a refugee influx, are constructing an 8-square-mile walled enclosure in the Sinai Desert near the border.

This initiative, part of heightened security measures, involves deploying soldiers, armored vehicles, and reinforcing fences along the frontier to prevent Palestinians from entering.

The extensive compound serves as a contingency plan in case a large number of Gazans manage to cross the border, with a capacity to accommodate over 100,000 people.

Surrounded by concrete walls and situated away from Egyptian settlements, the site has received deliveries of unassembled tents, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Egyptian officials, anticipating a broad Israeli offensive against Hamas in Rafah, a Palestinian city on the Egyptian border, believe such an operation could occur within weeks, according to reports.

Written by B.C. Begley