Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Egypt has expressed determination to destroy Rafah, a leading stronghold of the Islamic revolt in the Sinai Peninsula.

Officials said President Abdul Fatah Sisi approved preparations to eliminate Rafah, divided between Egypt and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. They said the more than 30,000 residents would be relocated away from the Gaza Strip, which supplies weapons and fighters for the Sinai revolt.

“A new Rafah city is being established with residential zones appropriate to the nature and traditions of the residents of Rafah,” North Sinai Gov. Abdul Fatah Harhour said.

At a news conference on Jan. 7, Harhour said the destruction of Rafah marked Egypt’s plan to form a buffer zone with the Gaza Strip. He said the buffer would be expanded from the original 500 meters to one kilometer.

“The Egyptian Army has sent engineering units to plan the new city,” Harhour said.

Officials said the military, with a resettlement budget of $67 million, has already evicted 2,000 residents of Rafah and destroyed scores of homes. They said the second stage of the evacuation began on Jan. 9.

“The second phase will expand the zone horizontally by 500 meters, bring the total size of the buffer zone to one kilometer wide and almost 14 kilometers long along the border with Gaza,” Egypt’s official Al Ahram daily said.

  Egypt plans new city after bulldozing Rafah, expanding buffer zone with Gaza Strip, WorldTribune.com