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Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday declared the border area with Egypt a closed military zone, citing security concerns and warning that anyone entering the restricted area would be targeted, local media reported.
“We are declaring war. Anyone who enters the restricted area will be harmed,” Katz said during a discussion late Wednesday, as cited by public broadcaster KAN.
“I instructed the Israeli army to turn the area adjacent to the Israel–Egypt border into a closed military zone and to amend the rules of engagement accordingly to combat the drone threat that endangers the country's security,” Katz said in a statement.
“Weapon smuggling via drones is part of the war in Gaza and is intended to arm our enemies, and all possible measures must be taken to stop it,” he added.
Army Radio reported Katz agreed with Shin Bet Chief David Zinni to classify alleged attempts to smuggle weapons across the border with Egypt as a “terrorist threat,” a designation that would give security services broader powers to counter the activity.
Meanwhile, Israeli media outlet Yedioth Ahronoth quoted the defense minister as ordering “to hit any unauthorized entity that infiltrates the forbidden area,” saying the decision followed what the paper called “massive weapons smuggling operations” along the frontier.
There was no immediate comment from Egyptian authorities.
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In recent months, the Israeli military has repeatedly said it thwarted attempts to smuggle weapons by drone, without naming those behind the alleged operations. On Sunday, the army said it intercepted a drone carrying eight guns that had crossed into Israeli territory from the west; on Tuesday, it said troops intercepted a drone carrying 10 pistols that had entered from the east.
Katz said Thursday, “Today we declare war on those involved in the smuggling, and anyone who breaches the forbidden area will be targeted.”
Israel and Egypt share a border of about 200 kilometers (124 miles).
The Israeli military has said its offensive in Gaza killed nearly 69,000 Palestinians and injured more than 170,000 since October 2023; the assault halted under a cease-fire that took effect on Oct. 10.
Those figures have been widely reported but are disputed, and casualty counts in the conflict remain contested.
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