Palestinians walk amid the devastation in Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2025. (Photo by Omar Al-Qattaa / AFP)
Rafah, Egypt: Dozens of bulldozers, construction vehicles and trucks carrying mobile homes lined up on Egypt's side of the Rafah border crossing on Thursday, awaiting to enter Gaza, state-linked Egyptian media reported.
Al-Qahera News, with close ties to Egyptian intelligence services, said the equipment was positioned at the crossing in preparation for entry into the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
An AFP photographer also confirmed seeing the vehicles, including trucks carrying caravans, waiting at the border.
An official source at the crossing told Egypt's state news agency MENA that the equipment is expected to enter Gaza "in the coming days" to assist in clearing rubble and repairing roads destroyed by Israeli airstrikes during the 15-month-long war.
A Palestinian woman stands inside a heavily damaged building in Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2025. (Photo by Omar Al-Qattaa / AFP)
However, an Israeli government spokesman said heavy machinery would not be allowed to enter the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
"There is no entry of caravans (mobile homes) or heavy equipment into the Gaza Strip, and there is no coordination for this," Omer Dostri, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wrote on X.
"According to the agreement, no goods are allowed to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing," he added.
Under an ongoing truce agreement, Rafah has been opened for evacuation of the wounded and sick. Other aid is also allowed to enter the territory via the Kerem Shalom crossing.
"We stand behind them (Palestinians) and hopefully better days are ahead," Ahmed Abdel Dayem, a driver at the border, told AFP.
The situation unfolds amid growing tensions over US President Donald Trump's plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan, a move that has faced staunch opposition from both countries.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called such displacement an "injustice" that Egypt "cannot take part in", while Jordan's King Abdullah said his country remains "steadfast" in its position against the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Egypt is set to host a summit of Arab nations later this month and announced this week that it would present a "comprehensive vision" for Gaza's reconstruction in a way that ensures Palestinians remain on their land.
