World Bulletin/News Desk

Egypt will on Sunday start expanding to a kilometer a buffer zone it began creating on its border with the Palestinian Gaza Strip, a security source has said.

Egypt had initially planned to create a 500-meter wide buffer zone along the border with the Palestinian territory.

The decision was taken in November of last year, a short time after a deadly attack on Egyptian troops deployed in Sinai left around 31 troops dead and a similar number wounded.

The security source, who requested anonymity, said on Saturday that the authorities had already counted 1,200 houses that would be evacuated within the new buffer zone expansion plan.

He said the Egyptian government would compensate the owners and the residents of these houses.

North Sinai Governor Abdel-Fattah Harhour, meanwhile, said on Saturday that the government would send trucks to help homeowners move their belongings.

He added that in a statement that each homeowner would be given $209 in compensation for the demolition of their houses for three months, an amount of money to be used in renting new houses.

"Homeowners will then receive compensation for the demolished homes," the Governor said.

When it took the decision to create the buffer zone, the Egyptian government said it aimed to demolish a network of smuggling tunnels on the border between Sinai and Gaza.

It said these tunnels were used by militants in infiltrating into Egypt and launching attacks against Egyptian troops.