IDF rushes forces to Egyptian border after trucks gather near Israeli town

For two days in a row, white pickup trucks spotted on Egyptian side of the border just yards away from the Israeli frontier, close to the town of Shlomit, prompting IDF to rush forces to the scene.

By World Israel News Staff

The IDF dispatched air and ground forces to the Egyptian border on Wednesday, after a number of unmarked vehicles gathered on the Egyptian side of the border near an Israeli town two days in a row.

On Tuesday, a number of white pickup trucks were spotted on the Egyptian side of the Israel-Egypt border, across from the Israeli town of Shlomit, which is located in the Western Negev, some 700 yards from the frontier.

Residents of Shlomit expressed concerns regarding the vehicles’ presence roughly 100 yards away from the border, drawing parallels with the October 7 invasion, during which Hamas terrorists infiltrated en masse into Israel using pickup trucks.

The lack of an IDF response drew criticism not only from locals but also from social media users, who accused the military of failing to change its approach to such incidents following the October 7 invasion.

After the gathering was repeated on Wednesday, the IDF deployed troops to the area, along with a tank and an attack helicopter.

The IDF later told the Eshkol Regional Council, the municipal body governing towns in the area such as Shlomit, that the trucks did not present a threat and that no military action was planned.

The army emphasized that the occupants of the vehicles were “unarmed Egyptian civilians in sovereign Egyptian territory” and that the gathering was peaceful, without providing details.

Furthermore, the IDF said that the Egyptian military had been alerted to the gatherings, and that the Egyptian army was operating on the scene to remove the civilians and the trucks from the border area.