Egyptian authorities violently crack down on Sinai protests

Egypt used violence against residents of the Sinai region who were peacefully protesting to demand authorities allow them to return to their homes, according to a statement signed by five human rights organisations. 

On Monday, hundreds of displaced people took to the streets of North Sinai, days after discussions were touted about Palestinians in Gaza being resettled in the peninsula. 

According to the rights groups, which include Sinai Foundation for Human Rights and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, authorities fired bullets to disperse demonstators, and arrested nine of them.

Since 2013, the Egyptian army has destroyed over 12,000 homes in the province and closed off 6,000 hectares of farmland, displacing thousands.

Cairo has justified the demolitions and evictions as necessary in its fight against Wilayat Sina, a local Islamic State (IS) group affiliate responsible for attacks against civilians and military targets.

Egypt has begun logistical preparations for setting up tents in the Sinai cities of Sheikh Zuwayed and Rafah in the event of a mass exodus of Palestinians, according to a report in Mada Masr earlier this month.

Palestinians from Gaza told MEE that forced displacement to Sinai would be akin to a "second Nakba".