Fate of 3 Israelis held in Egypt remains unknown 6 months after they were arrested

There has been almost no information on the fate of three Arab Israeli men arrested in Egypt six months ago, with their families, attorneys and even the Foreign Ministry unable to contact them, Hebew media revealed Tuesday.

The men, who were named in reports as Bilal Masoudin, Bilal al-Afshaq and Ahmed al-Doji, are from a Bedouin committee in the southern Negev region.

The Foreign Ministry confirmed that it has been unable to clarify the situation.

“The ministry, like other authorities, approached the Egyptian authorities with a request to receive official information about them. At this stage, a satisfactory official response has not been received,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry added that it was continuing to work with Egyptian authorities and was in contact with the three Israelis’ families, who Hebrew media outlets said have been led to believe their loved ones were not arrested for suspected criminal offenses but rather for unknown matters relating to Egyptian national security.

Their families say that the trio visited Egypt in March and were arrested while staying at a hotel in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh.

Ynet reported that one of the Israelis managed to alert his family that he was being arrested and also called a friend to say he was detained, but that he expected to return home the following day.

That was the last anyone heard from any of the three men.

הקדמה קצרה:
לפי הודעת משרד החוץ, בשלב זה טרם התקבל מענה מספק מהרשויות המצריות בנוגע למצבם של שלושת הצעירים, תושבי הנגב. עורך דינם: המשפחות אינן יודעות היכן הם מוחזקים או אילו חשדות מיוחסים להם.

צילום: מימין: בלאל סלאם אל־אפשק, אחמד עודה אל־דוג'י ובלאל חסן מסעודין אל־ולידי. pic.twitter.com/snRtp3ifny

— קליין יורם ????????????☮️ (@yoram19661004) September 22, 2026

“We have no idea where they are or what has happened to them,” Fadi Masoudin, the brother of Bilal, told the news site.

He explained that the families decided to keep quiet about the incident for months in the hope that it would be resolved.

“I find it hard to understand why they won’t let me contact my brother,” he said.

Two Egyptian lawyers reportedly hired by the families to take on the case dropped out after failing to obtain any information.

Attorney Itzhak Meltzer, who is representing one of the Israelis, told Kan that based on inquiries to Egyptian lawyers, the case is a security investigation. He said that an Egyptian attorney who asked to meet with the three was told by police they were not being held by cops.

Meltzer said that in late July he asked the Foreign Ministry for information about the three and was told only that “your request has been passed on to the relevant authorities, and when we have an answer we will answer.”

“The families are today being kept totally in the dark, and that is the most serious thing of all,” he said.