Security forces arrested 10 undocumented migrants who attempted to enter Israel through the Egyptian border early Monday, a security source told the German news agency DPA.
The source said a security patrol found that the group was trying to enter Israel from central Sinai. It shot in the air to force them to stop.
Investigations showed the migrants had paid US$20,000 to smuggling gangs, and that they were attempting to meet relatives in Israel and find jobs.
Six Sudanese nationals and four Eritreans were arrested. Security forces remanded them at the central prison in Arish and informed the embassies of their countries.
African migrants have sought job opportunities in Israel, where they are hired as cheap labor.
Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said authorities were starting measures to deport dozens of South Sudanese migrants from Israel to counter the rising flow of illegal immigration.
Edited translation from DPA
