EL-ARISH: Border guards arrested six Eritrean refugees trying to cross illegally into Israel on Thursday, shooting one of the individuals in the process, security and medical officials said.
The Eritreans were part of a larger group of about a dozen Africans, but the others managed to make it into Israel, said a security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
Guards opened fire on the refugees when they refused to surrender, injuring one of the six Eritreans they arrested at Wadi Grayah in the Sinai Peninsula, the official said.
The gunfire injured the refugee s feet, but his condition was not serious, said Imad Kharboush of the nearby El-Arish hospital emergency unit.
On Wednesday, eight Eritreans and two Sudanese were caught trying to cross into Israel.
Israel estimates that 2,800 people, mostly from Africa, have entered the country illegally through its border with Egypt in recent years searching for jobs. The number shot up over the summer, apparently as word spread of job opportunities in Israel. As many as 50 people arrived each day in June, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.Associated Press
