Israeli authorities have renewed the detention of three 14-year-old Egyptians despite the fact they were acquitted in court. They were charged with trespassing on Israeli territory and jeopardizing national security.
The minors were arrested on the Israeli-Egyptian border while trying to infiltrate Israel in order to sell tobacco.
“This is considered kidnapping,” said Mahmoud Saeed, president of the Committee Defending Egyptian Prisoners in Israel. “They were only selling tobacco on the border.”
“The same happened before with 78 Egyptians from the Sinai Bedouin tribes,” he added, contending that Israel is trying to pressure Egypt to release Israeli prisoners.
Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs Ahmed Ragheb said the legal status of those minors is in their favor. “I believe they’ll be released soon,” he said.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
