Egyptian border guards arrested three African migrants attempting to enter Israel illegally, police said Thursday.
Police told the German Press Agency dpa that border guards spotted the three, identified as two Ethiopians and one Eritrean, as they were trying to cross into Israel the previous night.
The three migrants are being held in a prison in the nearby town of al-Arish, police said, adding that the three had confessed to paying 1,000 US dollars each to human traffickers to smuggle them across the border.
The detainees said they had hoped to travel to Israel to find work, police said.
Egyptian border guards frequently stop African migrants trying to cross the country's desert border with Israel, sometimes using lethal force, but thousands more successfully make the journey, Israeli human rights groups say.
Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to build a barrier along its border with Egypt, saying he aimed to secure Israel's "Jewish and democratic character."
Israel cannot allow "thousands of illegal workers to infiltrate Israel via the southern border and flood our country," Netanyahu said.
Egyptian police arrest three African migrants on Israeli border
