An Egyptian security source said on Friday they arrested 48 African immigrants attempting to cross into Israel via the Sinai Peninsula.
The source, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the African immigrants were arrested as they tried to go through the Ahmed Hamdi tunnel, which connects Suez to Sinai.
They were on their way to Israel through mountainous roads with the help of human trafficking gangs in Sinai, who transported them in pick-up trucks, according to the source.
Those arrested include 47 Eritreans, and one Somali. There are 19 women and a number of children among them, according to the same source.
In preliminary investigations, the detained said that they entered Egypt from Sudan.
Egyptian authorities have complained about the increase in infiltration attempts by African immigrants trying to get to Israel with the help of Bedouin trafficking gangs.
According to Israel, 10,000 African migrants have entered its borders through Egypt over the past few years.
International organizations have accused Egyptian security forces of being lax in using force to stop the migrants from crossing the border with Israel.
