The IDF is expected to deploy a large number of forces Monday along the Israel-Egypt border, from the Kerem Shalom crossing to the Nitzana salient. This will mark the beginning of the defense establishment's revolution along Israel's southern border following the disengagement.
A senior IDF officer told Ynet "our goal is to create a fortified wall and prevent any infiltration into Israeli territory using numerous and diverse methods."
"We fear terror, but will also try to prevent criminal activities," he said.
A large number of soldiers are expected to arrive at the border Monday afternoon, south of the Philadelphi route. Several guarding towers will be built, and armored personnel carriers and other various means will be placed in the area, some revealed and others concealed.
Later, additional forces will join the southern division and the Israel Air Force will patrol over the Gaza Strip and border from the air.
The first step in the security revolution will be implemented Monday by the Gaza division's southern unit, commanded by Colonel Avi Peled.
"Since the disengagement," a senior officer told Ynet, "the terror organizations have been trying to find indirect ways to carry out terror attacks, some through the sea, some through underground tunnels, and some through Egypt."
"Therefore, in light of the threats and the warnings created, and the understanding that this has become a real threat, we are beginning to operate along the border," he explained.
As part of the plan, the southern unit will be responsible for a new territory, approximately 60 kilometers (about 37 miles) long.
Preventing infiltration of global Jihad elements
The senior officer explained that the new borderline "will look like a normal continuous security border, from placing towers and patrols up to increments that are unique to the zone, quiet activities and others, technological means from the ground and the air, a combination of the air force and professional drivers from special units."
"All this in order to reach a situation of zero infiltrations," he said.
The officer admitted that the first signs of global Jihad have already been spotted in Egypt, something which concerns defense establishment senior officials. Their new line of defense should also prevent an infiltration of these elements into Israel, he said.
The new forces in the area will operate based on the experience acquired by the IDF in the Gaza Strip, along with special elements adapted to the operation zone.
IDF officials are aware of the fact that the majority of activities in the Gaza Strip are criminal, but do not plan to take a chance.
"The criminal side also poses a danger to the State of Israel, with the quantities of smuggled drugs. But we cannot know what the person is smuggling, and therefore our working premise will be that it is an act of terror and we will prevent it," the senior officer said.
IDF sources explained that smugglers involved in criminal activities are sometimes not aware of the fact that they are part of an act of terror.
For example, a person who helps smuggle an illegal resident into Israel sometimes does not know the smuggled person is in fact a suicide bomber.
The area has been divided into four sub-zones from the Egyptian borderline to Israeli territory, in which surveillance of each suspected person would be implemented until the person is arrested.
Despite the widening of the border and the deployment of forces, there are no changes expected in the firing instructions. However, the senior officer said fire has never been used in this zone, and now, when unusual incidents take place, the forces will implement suspect detention procedures as implemented in other military zones.