The buffer zone will include water-filled trenches to thwart tunnel diggers and will be 500 meter wide and extended along the 13 km border.[17] Following the announcement of Ibrahim Mahlab, the Prime Minister of Egypt, that any residents unwilling to move willfully would be forcefully removed from their homes, many residents left the area.[18] On 17 November 2014, Egypt announced that the buffer zone would be doubled to 1 km due to the longer than expected tunnels discovered.[19]