Egypt: Gaza border buffer zone extended Oct. 9

Event

Egypt's military is expanding its current buffer zone along the Gaza border in an attempt to prevent weapons smuggling and militant crossings between the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip. Egyptian soldiers have leveled at least 140 homes and cleared .80 km² (.31 mi²) of land on the Gaza border as of Monday, October 9. Reports say the buffer is now 1500 m (4900 ft) wide and 10 km (6 mi) long.

Context

Egypt is struggling to combat an insurgency by Islamic State (IS)'s local branch, Islamic State Sinai Province (IS-SP), in the restive Sinai Peninsula, where hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed since 2013. Northeastern Sinai, which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip, has been particularly volatile. Egypt has been under a nationwide state of emergency since April 2017, when IS militants carried out attacks on two churches in Tanta and Alexandria, leaving over 50 people dead.

Advice

Due to the prevailing threat of terrorism, individuals throughout Egypt should report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and always be on guard when visiting sites deemed particularly vulnerable to an attack (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.). Some governments advise their nationals against all travel to northern Sinai, where the authorities maintain a media blackout and special security zones due to the persistent terrorist threat.