Egyptian security authorities arrested ten Africans on their way to Sinai, said a statement by the Ministry of Interior on Thursday. The men were purportedly trying to sneak into Israel through the Egyptian border.
The detainees are eight Eritreans and two Ethiopians, the statement noted.
It said the migrants were spotted by security forces while sneaking through a desert area in Ismailia province. They were seeking a safe ride to the Suez Canal, from where they would enter Sinai.
Two women among the detainees told interrogators that they were planning to meet with human traffickers who would help them enter Israel to get jobs.
The Ethiopian and Eritrean embassies in Cairo have been informed of the incident.
Egyptian authorities frequently arrest African migrants who seek to illegally enter Israel through Egypt in search of work opportunities.
Egyptian security authorities have been under fire by world human rights bodies for shooting dead illegal migrants.
African migrants are typically hired in Israel as cheap labor.
