Count of African migrants crossing from Egypt drops sharply

Interior Ministry figures show 928 Africans were detained after illegally entering Israel in June, a 50% drop from the previous month

A coat left behind on the Israeli-Egyptian border fence after a migrant crossed illegally from Egypt into Israel (photo credit: Tsafrir Abayov/Flash9)
A coat left behind on the Israeli-Egyptian border fence after a migrant crossed illegally from Egypt into Israel (photo credit: Tsafrir Abayov/Flash9)

The number of people illegally crossing Israel’s southern border dropped dramatically in June, according to figures released by the Interior Ministry Sunday.

The ministry reported that 928 people sneaked across the border from Egypt during June — a sharp drop from May, which saw 2,031 African migrants come into Israel.

The June number was only slightly lower than the count given for April, 1,083.

According to the ministry, most of those crossing the border were citizens of Sudan and Eritrea.

In recent weeks, Israel has begun a crackdown on the estimated 60,000 African migrants residing illegally in the country, and has begun offering cash incentives and flights to those who choose to leave voluntarily.

A border fence under construction is also intended to stem the flow from Africa.

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