Is next Oct 7-style attack brewing along Israeli-Egyptian border?

Residents along Israel’s Egyptian border are urging the state to learn from the past, as they reveal what they witness living on the frontlines every day: smuggling, drone infiltrations, and tunnel activity.

In the small community of Shlomit, 700 meters from the Egyptian border, the landscape is a mix of blooming anemones and parked tanks. Locals film white pickup trucks that look hauntingly similar to those used by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, while a new aerial threat heightens tensions: large drones launched from Egypt that cross into Israeli airspace daily, hovering over homes and keeping the community on constant alert. 

In the three months preceding a Knesset discussion dedicated to the topic in October 2025, nearly 900 drone smuggling incidents were recorded, Ynet reported.

Traditional drug and livestock smuggling has turned into large drone infiltrations in numbers of up to hundreds per day. Long dismissed as non-hostile criminal activity, residents warn that this contraband not only fueled the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks but may be laying the groundwork for a new offensive. For those on the frontlines, the warning signs are impossible to ignore.

A reality reminiscent of Oct. 7, 2023

“It’s like a replay for us. We see that there are pickup trucks here, people we don’t know arriving again, digging near the border. There’s movement here from the other side,” local resident Margalit Biran told KAN News, describing the sense of unease in communities along Israel’s southern border.

When they raise concerns with Israeli military personnel, they are often dismissed. “First of all, that legitimizes it, and second, it treats it as if it’s not hostile,” she said, expressing frustration over what she views as a lack of decisive response.

Yaniv Ohana of the Israel Police’s Jordan Border Unit underscored the urgent need for new countermeasures against advanced drones crossing into Israel’s borders. “Heavy drones entering the market will be able to carry 100 kg in a single load. Last week, we saw a huge drone come in, and we had no means to bring it down,” he told the Special Committee for Combating Drug and Alcohol Abuse in February 2025.

Beyond those concerns, Biran affirms there are tunnels under the area. “There is work and construction going on, so we hear a lot of noises all the time.” Narrating one particular instance, she said, “Around midnight or 1:00 A.M., I went in and heard tapping coming from the shower drain in our bathroom.” She says this has been happening for about a year.

“I’m not looking at this as a political matter. I put that aside. After Oct. 7, there are no excuses,” said Biran, adding that the authorities’ lack of transparency meant to prevent public panic only deepens mistrust.

Crime and terror converge

Tal Ashush, another local, echoed similar fears: “There are drones flying here all the time and we’re always on alert here.” She noted, “The Philadelphi Corridor is right here, and my sweet son is sleeping at home now – he’s a year-old baby. All this is happening simultaneously.”

Ashush affirmed, “All these drug dealers are actually terrorists, and all these crossings happening here are ultimately crossings of terror organizations.”

Two former diplomats told the Jerusalem Post last month that Cairo’s failure to tackle the exporting of weapons and drugs via drones to Israel is not only empowering terrorism against the Jewish state but also contributing to the Arab crime crisis in Israel.

Shlomit resident Noam Rot warned that constant observation from the Egyptian side mirrors Hamas’ Oct. 7 preparation: “[Hamas] knew who had a dog and who didn't, whether the husband was home or not. We don’t want that to happen here, too. If there are jeeps standing close to Israel, they are doing something.”

Shattering conceptions of Israel’s peace treaty with Egypt, Biran warned, “If Egypt hadn’t been transferring, supplying, facilitating, and arming as much as they did for Oct. 7, if they hadn’t had those weapons, I don’t know if they would have had those capabilities.” The Philadelphi Corridor running along the Egypt-Gaza border has reportedly been one of the main routes used by Hamas for smuggling weapons through underground tunnels.

In November of last year, the IDF Spokesperson said the Israeli Air Force thwarted approximately 130 UAV smuggling attempts on the Egyptian border, seizing 85 weapons, including machine guns, rifles, and pistols. The statement announced a designated operations center to synchronize intelligence, electronic warfare, and targeted operations in these efforts.

A string of deadly incidents in recent years has also tested the "cold peace" between Egypt and Israel. In May 2024, an Egyptian soldier opened close-range fire from an observation post at an Israeli force and was killed. That same month, a Jewish businessman was shot dead by gunmen in a terror incident in the country. At the outbreak of the massacre in the Gaza envelope, two Israeli tourists were murdered by an Egyptian policeman on Oct. 8, 2023. Months earlier that year, another policeman infiltrated Israeli territory and killed three Israeli soldiers before he was eliminated hours later.

Faith-driven optimism

Even amid the fear, faith and resilience endure. Later in the report, two local young women shrugged off the "routine" security incidents, comforted by the IDF’s presence: “We just hear booms, nothing more.” Praising their surroundings, they added: “It’s flourishing, the weather is good, we're happy here. God is watching over us. There is nothing like the south.” 

Another couple considering to move to the area emphasized the importance of their presence: “If we aren’t here, then it will just be another area with nothing in it. We don’t want it to be only from Gedera to Hadera,” referring to the region where the majority of Israel’s population lives, “we want to open up Israel a bit more.”

A local restaurant owner gave the perspective: “It’s all vanity of vanities, nothing new under the sun,” she said, quoting Scripture. “We got through Pharaoh, and we’ll get through many more periods, hopefully with a smile.”

Steadfast and watchful, residents hope their vigilance will be met with equal resolve from the State of Israel, with lessons learned.