Israel is often the sole recipient of criticism for the so-called "Gaza siege," but most forget that the Gaza Strip also shares a border with the Egyptian-controlled Sinai Peninsula.

Now Egypt is under fire for allegedly aiding the "Israeli blockade" of the Gaza Strip by building a new anti-smuggling wall along that border.

The reinforced steel barrier is being sunk deep into the ground to disrupt and prevent the digging of smuggling tunnels under the border.

Egypt has been under heavy pressure from Israel and the US to do more to stop the smuggling of weapons into Gaza, which are inevitably used against the Jewish state resulting in more harsh security measures.

Amid threats by human rights activists around the world to march on the Gaza-Egypt border, the Egyptian government on Wednesday insisted that the new barrier was defensive measure and had nothing to do with barring the import of goods to Gaza.