Egypt, which has not publicly acknowledged the construction, has repeatedly warned Israel not to forcibly expel more than one million displaced Palestinians now in Rafah into its territory.

Israel’s defence minister said his country had “no intention” of pushing Palestinian civilians across the border into Egypt. However, the preparations on the Egyptian side of the border in the Sinai Peninsula suggested that Cairo is preparing for such a mass ejection, a scenario that could threaten the Arab country’s 1979 peace deal with Israel that’s been a linchpin for regional security.

In the latest Israeli strikes across Gaza, at least 67 Palestinians were killed including in areas where civilians have been told to seek refuge.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah says it received 44 bodies after multiple strikes in central Gaza. Bodies were seen arriving in ambulances and private vehicles.

The aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres said two people were also killed when a shelter housing staff in the Gaza Strip was struck during an Israeli operation in an area where Palestinians have been told to seek shelter.

The attack took place in al-Muwasi, a sandy, mostly undeveloped strip of land along the coast that has been transformed into a sprawling tent camp with little in the way of basic services.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, killing some 1200 people and taking around 250 hostages.

About a quarter of some 130 captives still being held are believed to be dead.

Israel has laid waste to much of the Palestinian territory in response.

Gaza’s Health Ministry estimates more than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed.

AP, Bloomberg

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