Egypt has rejected reports that it is creating a buffer zone near its border with the Gaza Strip to accommodate up to 100,000 Palestinians.

Diaa Rashwan, head of the State Information Service (SIS), said that Cairo was against the expulsion of Palestinians and also against them leaving the Gaza Strip voluntarily. However, Egypt had already built a buffer zone and fences on its side of the border long before the start of the Israeli military operation in the coastal strip, the statement from Friday evening continued.

The Israeli army is currently preparing to launch an offensive into Rafah, a southern Gaza city with a pre-war population of some 300,000. Following the beginning of the latest Gaza war triggered by the Hamas attacks on October 7, some 1.3 million civilians are now sheltering there.

Dpa had previously learned from Egyptian security circles that the country was planning to create a buffer zone near the border with Gaza to accommodate up to 100,000 Palestinians.

A wall would be erected around the area in order to maintain checks on Palestinian refugees if necessary, sources said on Thursday.

Work began around two months ago to accommodate refugees in buildings and tents, according to the information, which had not been initially confirmed officially.