First official Israeli comment on the arrest of three of its "spies" in Egypt - Sarmad
Israeli media revealed high-level diplomatic efforts to pressure Egypt into disclosing the fate of three Israeli men detained in the country on serious security charges.
Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan 11, reported that Tel Aviv has been unable to obtain official responses from Egypt following the detention of the three Israelis on security-related charges.
The broadcaster added that the Israeli Foreign Ministry responded for the first time to the detention of three Negev residents in Egypt, confirming that it has yet to receive a sufficient official response from Cairo.
Kan 11 explained that, in addition to the Foreign Ministry, other entities have contacted Egyptian authorities to request official information regarding the three detainees.
The Israeli broadcaster noted that the three men have been held in Egypt for approximately six months under unclear circumstances. Their families have received messages indicating that the detention is not on criminal grounds but relates to Egypt’s national security.
It was further noted that the three men had traveled to Egypt on leave in March of last year and were detained by authorities at the Taba border crossing while returning to Israel.
For its part, the Hebrew-language newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed that the three men were taken into custody by Egypt’s General Intelligence Service on March 21 of last year at the Taba crossing, where they were asked to exit their taxi and transfer to vehicles belonging to the Egyptian intelligence agency.
Yedioth Ahronoth stated that Egyptian authorities continue to remain silent on the fate of the three Israelis, who have been detained for six months, while Tel Aviv acknowledges its inability to obtain official information and offers only terse responses, leaving the families in growing anxiety.
The Hebrew-language newspaper added that the families have received messages stating that the detention is not due to a criminal offense but concerns matters related to Egypt’s national security.
