Why Is Egypt Moving Tanks Across the Sinai Desert?
Cairo does not appear interested in invading Gaza or neighboring Israel. Instead, the tanks’ presence is a show of force, intent on keeping large refugee flows of Palestinian Arabs out of their territory.
Israel has sent an official warning to the Egyptian government in Cairo, citing that their massive and ongoing military buildup in the Sinai Peninsula violates the historic—and, until recently, durable—Egypt-Israel peace treaty of 1979 that was signed following the Camp David Accords of 1978.
The Gaza War and Cairo’s Strategic Outlook
Among other things, the 1979 treaty stipulates that the Sinai Peninsula separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt must be demilitarized. Yet for weeks, the U.S.-supplied Egyptian Army has been massing large—and, according to Israel, unacceptable—numbers of troops and armored vehicles in the Sinai Desert. Multiple reports out of the region suggest that the Egyptians have deployed their aging U.S.-built M60 Patton Main Battle Tanks.
Specifically, Egyptian forces seem to have been sent to places like the Rafah crossing with Gaza in response to Cairo’s fears that Israel is attempting to force the relocation of massive numbers of Palestinian Arabs in the Gaza Strip down to Egyptian territory.
Meanwhile, Israel has highlighted the movement of the Patton MBTs to what the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty designated as “Zone A,” the area closest to the all-important Suez Canal. In fact, Israeli leaders are furious not only over the tanks’ presence, but over the number that have been moved to the area closest to the Suez Canal. It appears that this number far exceeds the longtime cap of 230 MBTs in Zone A.
Nor are the venerable Patton tanks the only vehicles annoying Jerusalem. A number of Egyptian M1A1 Abrams MBTs have begun to arrive in the area, too. Egyptian Abrams MBTs have been spotted moving to rallying points in central Sinai and near the Rafah border crossing.
The positioning of these tanks—notably the advanced Abrams MBTs, along with their strategic locations—in the Sinai is not merely an annoyance to Israel. It indicates yet another complicating factor for what many assume will be a renewed round of attacks by Israeli forces upon Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, which will naturally prompt massive outflows of Palestinian refugees into the Sinai. If Egypt effectively blocks the flow of refugees out of Gaza, it will inevitably result in higher civilian casualties within the strip—which will in turn put political pressure on Israel to scale back the fighting, stymying its efforts to deal a fatal death blow to Hamas.
Egypt’s Tank Fleet Is Massive—But Mostly Old
Egypt’s M60A3 Patton is a Cold War-era relic that Egypt integrated into their armed forces, primarily as a legacy system alongside newer American tank models (like the M1A1 Abrams).
Developed by the United States Army in the 1950s and upgraded through the 1970s, the M60A3 variant entered service in 1978, featuring improved fire control systems, a thermal sight, and a 105mm M68 rifled gun capable of firing various rounds, including Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) rounds for anti-tank roles.
Egypt acquired hundreds of the M60s, including the A3 variant listed above, through its tight military aid alliance with the United States starting in the 1980s, with as many as 1,000 M60-series tanks in Egypt’s arsenal by the 2000s.
M60s have a top speed of 30 miles per hour and are powered by a 750-horsepower Continental AVDS-1790 diesel engine. Its armor, up to 250 mm thick in some areas with upgrades, offers decent protection against older threats but is often outclassed by modern anti-tank weapons. The M60 is considered less advanced than the Abrams but it is a rugged, cheaper, and durable supplement to the newer Abrams tanks in Egypt’s arsenals.
As for the M1A1 Abrams, Egypt incorporated these iconic American tanks into their armed forces via a co-production deal, making it the cornerstone of Egypt’s Army.
Introduced in the 1980s by General Dynamics, the M1A1 features a 120mm M256 smoothbore gun, advanced Chobham composite armor (with some Egyptian units possibly deploying depleted uranium layers), and a sophisticated fire control system with thermal imaging.
Egypt began receiving and assembling these tanks in the 1990s at a factory near Cairo, with over 1,300 delivered by 2025—tailored for extreme desert conditions.
The M1A1 is powered by a 1,500-horsepower Honeywell AGT1500 gas turbine engine, hitting speeds of up to 42 miles per hour on roads. Its armor and reactive upgrades provide strong defense against most anti-tank threats, while its gun can fire advanced rounds, like the M829 APFSDS for piercing heavy armor. Egypt’s versions are slightly downgraded from American models, lacking some classified technology. However, these systems are highly capable—adapted specifically for Egypt’s desert combat conditions, making them particularly appropriate for battle on the Sinai Peninsula.
Egypt Doesn’t Want a War With Israel
Of course, if Israel ever did need to take on the Egyptian Army, their own capabilities are lethal. Yet, it should be noted that the Egyptians appear to simply be taking a forward-deployed defensive posture.
Cairo does not appear interested in invading Gaza or neighboring Israel. Instead, the tanks’ presence is a show of force, intent on keeping large refugee flows of Palestinian Arabs out of their territory—presumably out of fear that they would not be allowed to return, and Cairo would be obliged to look after them for decades, as other nations hosting Palestinian refugees have done. A second major concern, of course, is that the influx of such groups of refugees would bring with it scores of radical Islamists, disrupting Egypt’s secular but precarious political order.
Clearly, the situation in the region is deteriorating. As Israel seeks to enhance its own security interests relative to Hamas in Gaza, Fatah in the West Bank, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iran, multiple other players in the region, such as the Egyptians or Turks, rally hard against Israeli moves, seriously complicating those Israeli efforts—and thereby decreasing Israel’s overall security posture in the region.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a contributor at Popular Mechanics, who consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Shutterstock / Photo Spirit.