Israel has declared the border with Egypt a "closed military zone" to prevent the smuggling of weapons using drones, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said, quoted by Agence France-Presse, BTA reported.
"I have instructed the Israeli army to turn the area near the Israeli-Egyptian border into a closed military zone and therefore to change the rules of use of force to deal with the threat of drones, which endanger the country's security", Katz said, declaring "war on those involved in smuggling".
"The smuggling of weapons using drones is part of the war in Gaza and aims to arm our enemies. "All possible measures must be taken to stop it, anyone who passes through this forbidden zone will be a target," he added.
Israel and Egypt share a border of about 200 kilometers.
The Israeli army announced this week that it had foiled two attempts to smuggle weapons using drones across the border with Egypt, including semi-automatic pistols. This was also seen in a photo released on Tuesday. A drone with 10 such pistols was seized, the military said in a statement.
In early May 2024, the Israeli army took control of the area on the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing, claiming that it had been "used for terrorist purposes" and arms smuggling. All access to the crossing, including for UN personnel, was then suspended. The crossing was briefly resumed during a previous ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group "Hamas", which took effect on January 19, 2025.