Refugees Killed on Egypt-Israel Border

According to the Egyptian authorities, the migrants appear to have been killed by gunfire, while another eight migrants were wounded in the attack.

They told Ma’an that Egyptian border forces called on the 23 migrants to halt, saying that they had been caught, and when the group failed to do so, the soldiers opened fire on them.

Egyptian forces on Sunday shot and killed 15 Sudanese migrants who were attempting to illegally cross the border into Israel, Egyptian security sources said.

An additional eight migrants, who were unhurt in the incident, were arrested by the Egyptians and were being interrogated, the officials said.

Most of the wounded were in serious condition with injuries to their abdomens, the officials said.

The circumstances behind the shooting that occurred close to where the borders of Israel and Gaza meet Egypt are unknown.

Israel has largely stopped the illegal crossings from Sinai with a high tech fence and military action in the area.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

As many as 50,000 African migrants and refugees live in Israel, a country that rarely grants refugee status to Africans.

Despite an increased security presence, criminal gangs in Sinai continue to take migrants and asylum seekers hostage en route to Israel.