Egypt–Israel barrier

Initial construction on the barrier began on 22 November 2010,[2] and its original purpose as a common fence was to curb the large influx of illegal migrants from African countries into Israel.

[13][14][15] The 245-kilometre (152 mi) barrier,[16] stretching from the Israeli city of Eilat in the south to the Gaza–Israel border in the north,[17][18] took three years to construct at an estimated cost of ₪1.6 billion (US$450 million), making it one of the largest projects in Israel's history.

[6] An old and rusty low-height fence swamped by shifting sand dunes, which mainly served as a border marker between Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and Israel, had already existed in the Negev Desert prior to any barrier considerations.

The separation barrier was originally planned in response to the high levels of illegal African migrants, mainly from Eritrea and Sudan, who were being smuggled into Israel by Bedouin traffickers.

"[21] The 2011 Egyptian revolution, the demise of Mubarak's regime, increased lawlessness and a rising Islamist insurgency in the Sinai, as well as the 2011 southern Israel cross-border attacks led to the project's upgrading with surveillance equipment and its timetable for completion being expedited.