Egypt deployed extra armoured personnel carriers and soldiers to its boundary with Gaza in northeastern Sinai this week as an Israeli ground process in neighbouring Rafah appears close. Fifteen armoured personnel conveyances mounted with combat gear were stained by Sinai residents of Sheikh Zuweid travelling toward Egypt’s border with Gaza.

Separately, another convoy of armoured vehicles reached the village of Al-Joura, south of Sheikh Zuweid. The deployment comes amid a deepening split between Egypt and Israel over the latter’s offensive on Rafah, the southern Gaza border city. Last week, Israel captured the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and undertook military operations in the city where around 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering.

The attack enraged Egypt, which has a 45-year peace treaty with Israel and collaborates closely on security matters. An Egyptian military source told last week that there had been “no operation coordination” between Egypt and Israel before the crossing was attacked.

Humanitarian assistance deliveries into Gaza have ground to a standstill as a result of Israel’s seizure of the Rafah crossing, and Egypt has snubbed Israel’s requests to reopen the crossing, with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi speaking Israel wants to use control of Rafah “to tighten the siege of the enclave”.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu stated on Wednesday that Cairo was holding Gaza “hostage” by declining to work with Israel to reopen the crossing. The crossing had been jointly owned by Egypt and Hamas prior to Israel’s operation on 7 May.

The diplomatic dispute between Egypt and Israel has been deepening for days. The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday quoted Egyptian officials as saying that Cairo is assuming a downgrade to bilateral relations with Israel, including withdrawing their ambassador.

Egypt announced it will enter South Africa in its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice blaming Israel for committing genocide. Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has blamed Israel of blocking aid to Gaza. But diplomats and analysts have been watching to notice if the verbal spat spills over into the delicate security and protection relationship that is controlled by Egypt’s military and intelligence officers.

The deployment of extra troops to Sinai would mark a severe escalation in the spat, a former senior Western diplomat said. The troop movements come as Sisi considers into the dispute for the first time. On Thursday, at an Arab League meeting in Bahrain, he said Israel was dodging a ceasefire in Gaza.

“We found Israel persisting to escape its responsibilities and evade efforts exercised to reach a ceasefire,” he said. “Those who think that security and military resolutions are able to secure interests or achieve security [are] delusional.” Egypt, along with Qatar, has also been one of the leading mediators in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas.