Residents of Egypt’s border with Gaza were given 48 hours to evacuate their homes on Tuesday. In response to a terror attack that occurred last Friday, Egypt plans to dismantle homes and build a buffer zone in the area to prevent infiltrations from the Hamas-ruled territory.

The  Associated Press (AP) reports:

The measure comes four days after Islamist fighters attacked an army post, killing at least 31 soldiers in the restive area in the northeastern corner of the Sinai Peninsula. After the attack, Egypt declared a state of emergency and dawn-to-dusk curfew there. Authorities also indefinitely closed the Gaza crossing, the only non-Israeli passage for the crowded strip with the world.

The buffer zone, which will include water-filled trenches to thwart tunnel diggers, will be 500 meters (yards) wide and extended along the 13 kilometer (9 mile) border.

According to the AP, residents protested the decision and “are now negotiating with local officials to see if they can extend the deadline.”

Though Hamas denies any involvement in Friday’s terror attack, or indeed any attacks on Egyptian troops in the Sinai, the Egyptian government suspects that the terror group is involved. The barring of a Hamas delegation from Egypt and the cancellation of Monday’s scheduled Gaza ceasefire talks suggest that Cairo is convinced of Hamas’ involvement in the attack.

[Photo: teleSUR English / YouTube ]