Israel arrests African migrants in Sinai

A spokesman from the Israeli military said Friday that its forces had thwarted numerous attempts by African migrants to illegally enter Israel through its border with Egypt. Israel is apparently waiting to hand over the detained immigrants to Egypt, while a human rights organisation that wished to remain anonymous confirmed the news. Israeli news websites said Israeli troops entered 100m inside Egyptian land to catch the immigrants. The spokesman stated: "Now there is an activity to prevent what is called 'terrorists' from Egyptian lands to execute operations against Israel and also prevent smuggling or infiltration." Israeli sources meanwhile accused Palestinian factions in Gaza of using the Sinai peninsula to test its rockets. According to Israeli sources, after last year's Egyptian revolution which ousted former president Hosni Mubarak, Israeli radars recorded the launching of new rockets owned by Palestinian factions exclusively from south Sinai. Sources accused parties in Sinai of cooperating with Palestinian factions. Israeli sources claimed that on July 1 this year, Palestinian resistance faction Hamas carried out as similar test in Sinai.