Tel Aviv (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Thursday said he instructed the army to turn the area at the border with Egypt into a closed military zone to combat weapons smuggling via drones.
Israel’s defence chief conducted a security meeting yesterday with IDF, police, and Shin Bet officials to deal with this. In the past year, Israel has said that there have been more frequent attempts to facilitate the flow of weapons and drugs across the Egyptian border by drone.
What role will the IDF play in new border measures?
During the meeting, Katz “instructed the IDF to turn the area adjacent to the border into a closed military zone and to adjust the rules of engagement in order to strike any unauthorised party that penetrates into the prohibited area, in order to hit the operators and smugglers of the drones,” according to his office.
What technical actions is Israel developing against drone threats?
Katz’s office also states that the Defence Ministry’s Directorate of Defence Research & Development and the Israeli Air Force will develop new “technological solutions” to deal with the drone threat, while the National Security Council will assist in new licensing requirements and legislative amendments related to the use, purchasing, and possession of drones.
The defence minister also spoke to Shin Bet chief David Zini regarding the matter, after which it was agreed that the security agency would
“define the issue of weapon smuggling threats via drones on the Israel–Egypt border as a terrorist threat,”
which would allow security bodies to use
“appropriate tools to counter that threat,”
according to Katz’s office.
What past security measures has Israel taken at border crossings?
The IDF had previously implemented similar measures, notably the closure of the Nitzana Border Crossing with Egypt in January 2025, as a closed military zone. This declaration was made by the Commander of the Southern Command after a situational assessment, and follows on from an earlier declaration of the Kerem Shalom Crossing with Gaza, made as a closed military zone earlier in the week.
Israeli civilian protests over the decision to continue humanitarian aid to Gaza until hostages held by Hamas were released had been the primary driver of the decision.
