Egyptian police killed four African migrants and injured three who were attempting to enter Israel illegally, media reports said on Wednesday. Security forces spotted seven people trying to illegally cross into Israel through the Rafah border, according to the official MENA news agency. Police opened fire when the migrants failed to stop after the being ordered to do so.
The nationalities of the Africans who died was not immediately known because they had no identity papers. The three injured were from Ethiopia and were transferred to al-Arish hospital. At least 24 migrants have been shot while trying to cross into Israel since the beginning of this year.
Most African migrants in Egypt are seeking asylum or work in Israel. Last year, Egyptian police arrested more than 480 illegal immigrants. The largest group was from Eritrea.