North Sinai Governor Mohamed Shousha denied Egypt is preparing “an isolated area in Sinai” to receive Gaza refugees as Israeli readies a ground invasion of Rafah. Ednews reports citing Al-Jazeera.

The construction work highlighted in satellite imagery is to assess houses destroyed during upheaval in recent years to “properly compensate” owners, said Shousha.

But the Sinai Foundation for Human Rights said two contractors told it construction firms were tasked with building a gated area, “surrounded by 7-metre high walls”. The site lies on the “rubble” of Egyptian homes “demolished” during the state’s war against insurgents in northern Sinai over the past decade, the foundation said.

Unnamed sources in Sinai told AFP news agency the area is being prepared in case of a breach of the Gaza border, which Egypt has fortified with additional walls and buffer areas since Israel’s war began on Gaza. “The area will be readied with tents” and humanitarian assistance would be delivered inside, said one source who spoke on condition of anonymity.