Egypt stops 52 migrants trying to enter Israel

Egyptian security services have thwarted several attempts in the last 24 hours by African migrants trying to enter Israel illegally. An Egyptian security source told Ma'an that 52 migrants have tried to infiltrate Israel from the Sinai peninsula, with 39 from Sudan. Egyptian border guards stopped the infiltrators after spotting them south of the Kerem Shalom crossing. All migrants were taken to detention centers where they told interrogators that they were trying to get to Israel to find work. They said they had paid human traffickers over $1,000 to help them arrive at the border. Last week, two African migrants were killed and one injured on when Egyptian police opened fire on a group trying to cross into Israel. Two weeks ago, Egyptian forces shot dead an Eritrean migrant trying to enter Israel. Three others were injured in the incident. In 2010, some 14,735 illegal immigrants, mostly Eritreans, crossed the border into Israel. This year, official statistics show that by early November, 12,407 "infiltrators" had entered Israel, with 950 crossing the border in the first six days of November.