Israeli military detains Egyptian national who crossed border

Egyptian man held after crossing into Israel near Nitzana, his motive for the crossing still unknown.

Trucks line up on the Egyptian side of the Egypt-Israel border as seen from the Nitzana border crossing in southern Israel [File: Ohad Zwigenberg/AP]

Israel’s military has said that it detained an Egyptian civilian overnight after he crossed a border fence from Egyptian territory into Israel near Nitzana and that he was transferred to security forces for further questioning.

The military, which made the announcement on Tuesday, provided no additional details on the man’s identity, his motive or whether he was carrying anything at the time of his detention. Israeli state broadcaster Kan 11 reported that surveillance identified the suspect crossing the border and that troops were dispatched to the scene to arrest him.

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Nitzana is a small community in southern Israel’s western Negev (Naqab) Desert, sitting directly adjacent to the Egyptian border opposite the Egyptian side’s Al-Awja area. The Nitzana border crossing, also known as the Eliav crossing, primarily handles cargo transport between the two countries rather than serving as a major passenger channel. It lies roughly 75km (47 miles) south of Beersheba.

The incident occurred as Israel maintains heightened alert levels along the Egyptian border. Israeli outlet Ynet reported that the military was treating the incident seriously and that it was under investigation.

Egyptian officials have not publicly commented on the detention.

Drug and arms smuggling takes place across the border between Egypt and Israel, neighbouring countries that signed a peace treaty in 1979 but whose relationship remains largely chilly.

Ynet reported the crossing came less than a year after Israel’s defence minister ordered the area adjacent to the Egyptian border declared a closed military zone and announced changes to open-fire regulations following earlier smuggling activity.

一名埃及男子在尼扎纳附近越境进入以色列后被拘留，其越境动机尚不清楚。

从以色列南部尼扎纳边境口岸看到的景象：卡车在埃及-以色列边境的埃及一侧排成一列。[图片：Ohad Zwigenberg/AP]

以色列军方表示，一名埃及平民在尼扎纳附近越过边境围栏从埃及领土进入以色列后，于夜间被军方拘留，并被移交给安全部队进行进一步讯问。

军方周二宣布了这一消息，但并未提供关于该男子身份、作案动机或被捕时是否携带任何物品的更多细节。以色列国家广播公司Kan 11报道称，监控录像显示该嫌疑人越境，随后军方派兵前往现场将其逮捕。

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尼扎纳是位于以色列南部内盖夫（纳卡布）沙漠西部的一个小社区，紧邻埃及边境，与埃及的奥贾地区隔海相望。尼扎纳边境口岸，也称埃利亚夫口岸，主要用于两国之间的货物运输，而非主要的客运通道。它位于贝尔谢巴以南约75公里（47英里）处。

事件发生之际，以色列正维持与埃及边境的高度戒备状态。以色列媒体Ynet报道称，军方高度重视此事，并已展开调查。

埃及官方尚未就此事发表公开评论。

毒品和武器走私活动在埃及和以色列的边境地区发生。埃及和以色列是邻国，两国于 1979 年签署了和平条约，但两国关系仍然相当冷淡。

据 Ynet 报道，此次偷渡事件发生在以色列国防部长下令将埃及边境附近地区划为封闭军事区，并宣布修改此前走私活动后开火条例不到一年之后。