Egyptian authorities arrested five Eritreans on Tuesday–four men and one woman–who attempted to cross the Egypt's eastern border into Israel. Human smugglers opened fire on security forces guarding the Egyptian border, with no injuries reported.
Authorities complain of increasing attempts by African migrants to enter Israel illegally via Egypt, often with the assistance of Bedouin smugglers. Many African migrants go to Israel in search of employment opportunities.
Israel claims that nearly 10,000 African migrants have illegally crossed into its territory from Egypt in the last few years. International rights organizations, for their part, have accused Egyptian security personnel of using excessive force against undocumented migrants attempting to make the trip. However, Egyptian authorities insist that their right to protect national security permits them to shoot potential trespassers.
Since the beginning of this year, Egyptian authorities have killed nearly 23 African nationals attempting to cross its border with Israel. In 2009, Egyptian police killed at least 19 African migrants under similar circumstances.
