Egypt building buffer zone to receive Palestinian refugees, rights group says

Construction is underway to create a security zone along Gaza's border with Egypt that could receive Palestinian refugees fleeing an expected Israeli assault on Rafah, according to an Egyptian rights group.

The Sinai Foundation for Human Rights spoke to local contractors, who said that the aim was to create an area in the Sinai peninsula that is surrounded by seven-metre-high walls.

The plan, detailed in a report published on Wednesday, would also pave over the destroyed homes of indigenous groups in the area.

Footage shared by the organisation showed officials in four-wheel-drive vehicles in the area, as well as a large number of equipment and bulldozers.

Earlier this month, Egyptian journalist Ahmed El-Madhoun posted a video online that showed workers strengthening the security wall separating Egypt and Gaza.

Read more: Egypt building buffer zone to receive Palestinian refugees, rights group says