page_title: Egypt–Israel barrier
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Egypt–Israel barrier / Background
caption_attribution_description: Afrikaans: Grens tussen Egipte en Israel noord van Eilat. English: Looking north along Egypt-Israel border north of Eilat.
context_page_description: The Egypt–Israel barrier refers to a border barrier built by Israel along its border with Egypt. It was originally an attempt to curb the influx of illegal migrants from African countries. Construction was approved on 12 January 2010 and began on 22 November 2010.
  However, following increased insurgent movement across the southern border in 2011 in wake of the crisis in Egypt, Israel upgraded the steel barrier project to include cameras, radar, and motion detectors. In January 2013, construction of the barrier was completed in its main section. The final section of the fence was completed in December 2013.
  A number of countries, including the United States and India, have sent delegations to Israel to study border security and the various technologies used by the IDF to secure Israel's borders, including the Israel–Egypt border. Some of these countries may implement these technologies as part of their own border fences.
  About 245 kilometres long, the fence from Rafah to Eilat took three years to construct, at an estimated cost of NIS1.6 billion, making it one of the largest projects in Israel's history.
context_section_description: An old rusty low fence swamped by shifting sand dunes has existed in the Negev desert along Israel's Sinai Peninsula border with Egypt, mainly serving as a marker between the two countries. Smuggling of cigarettes and drugs often carried on camels by Bedouins whose tribal lands straddle the border, has been a long-term problem. In December 2005 armed infiltrations into Israel along the porous border led to calls for the construction of a security fence. The Israeli government decided in the late 2000s to build the barrier.
caption: Egypt-Israel old border fence, north of Eilat.
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