Israeli officials said Tuesday that Egypt has doubled its troop levels in the Sinai Peninsula, according to Ynet. Egypt requested to bring an additional 750 troops into the area, but Defense Ministry officials objected, arguing that increasing troop levels would require reopening the 1979 peace treaty that limited Egypt to 750 troops in the Sinai area.
Officials said they had not objected to the deployment of additional troops, but had not agreed to a long-term arrangement. The additional troops arrived after Hamas terrorists blew large holes in the barrier along the Egyptian border in late January.