Concerns Over Egypt’s Military Buildup

Israel has asked Egypt to explain a significant increase in military activity in the Sinai Peninsula, because it violates the long-standing peace treaty between the two countries.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) consider the building of anti-tank obstacles, substantial logistical preparations, and deployment of whole armoured divisions into the Sinai Peninsula as “gross violations” of the peace treaty established in 1979.

Egyptian military analysts say that Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip is a major concern because of the danger of it spilling over into the very large area of Sinai.

There is also concern about the possibility of Israel attempting to force Gaza`s population of more than 2 million people into Sinai, something that would bring the risk of many terrorists coming among the civilians.

But Israel is also concerned about the sheer scale of the Egyptian military buildup. At a time when Egypt’s economy is struggling, partly because of reduced maritime traffic through the Suez canal, the country is investing massively in weaponry.

As recently as December, the US State Department approved the sale of $4.69 billion in weaponry to Egypt, including more than 500 Abrams tanks and more than 2,000 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles.

But this is not a new problem. In March 2024, a retired IDF officer warned that Egypt’s military buildup in Sinai had been taking place since 2004, accelerated after 2008, and has become even more substantial since 2014.

Lieutenant Colonel Eli Dekel is reported to have said,

“This process led to the Egyptian army ranking as the 12th most powerful army in the world
and pushed Israel to 18th place globally.”

Another report in June 2022 described the buildup as part of a successful policy to combat the Islamic State forces which had established themselves in the Sinai. Nevertheless, the author recognised the threat to the peace treaty that the buildup represented.

This report by All Israel News: