The evacuation of residents of the border city of Rafah, in North Sinai, started yesterday as a prelude to establishing a buffer zone along the border with the Gaza Strip.
The Egyptian authorities announced establishing a buffer zone on border with Gaza to prevent the infiltration of terrorist elements or smuggling of weapons and goods between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
Major General Abdel Fattah Harhour said evacuated residents would be compensated adequately.
According to a poll by North Sinai governorate authorities, 65 percent of those families want money as compensation, and 29 percent demand money for the demolished house and a piece of land in Arish in exchange for confiscated land.
A number of owners of apartments in Arish, Rafah and Sheikh Zuwaid and car owners took advantage of the situation and raised the prices upon increased in demand for apartments and transport cars.
The price of a furniture transport car has doubled to reach LE1,000, according to a resident. The renting of a flat reached LE1,000 and LE1,500 depending on the number of rooms, he added.
The ongoing evictions of the Rafah border area for a distance of 500 meters, includes 802 homes inhabited by 1,156 families, according to inventories conducted by the North Sinai Governorate.
The National Council for Human Rights condemned the incidents of violence and terrorism, stressing it was the duty of the state to fight back and take the necessary measures to prevent "the collapse of the state."
Terrorism is a gross violation of human rights as it violates the right to life and terrorizes innocent citizens, the council said in a statement after a meeting on Wednesday.
The council understands the reasons for the declaration of a state of emergency and curfew in Sinai, and the issuance of laws that allows referral to military court, the statement added, pointing out that these exceptional measures should not last long and be accompanied with suitable legal guarantees.
The whole North Sinai Governorate has seemingly turned into a military barrack, especially Arish, Rafah and Sheikh Zuwaid after the arrival of reinforcements from the second and third field armies as well as police reinforcements in preparation of an extensive military operation.
Security sources said military aircrafts have targeted terrorist hideouts with hellfire missiles leading to many deaths.
The sources added strict security measures were taken on entrances and exits of North Sinai and on Rafah-Arish international road.
The armed forces, in cooperation with civilian police, expanded military campaigns in Sheikh Zuwaid, Arish, and Rafah in North Sinai, seeking those involved in the massacre of Karam al-Qawadis where 33 officers and soldiers were killed and 26 injured last Friday.
Land and air forces took part in the military operations in conjunction with cutting landlines and mobile and Internet services to prevent terrorist elements from communicating, said security sources.
The police launched a campaign to arrest fugitives and those convicted in terrorist cases. The police inspected dozens of houses in Arish and checked the identity of residents as part of the security crackdown.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
