Three Israeli Bedouins Vanish After Arrest in Egypt

Three Israeli Bedouin citizens have been missing for six months after being arrested by Egyptian authorities at the Taba border crossing. As of Tuesday, September 22, neither their families nor Israeli officials have received any information about their whereabouts or condition. Bilal Masoudin, Bilal Salam Abu-Ayash, and Ahmed Aldugi, residents of Segev Shalom in the Negev, were detained on March 21 while returning to Israel from a vacation on the Sinai Peninsula.

According to eyewitnesses, the three men were stopped by Egyptian security forces at the border crossing near Eilat, forced out of their taxi, and taken away in an Egyptian counter-intelligence vehicle. Their families are unaware of the reason for their arrest or their current location. Israeli government bodies, including the Foreign Ministry, the Prime Minister's Office, and the President's Office, have also been unable to obtain any concrete information, offering only standard assurances that families will be informed if any news becomes available.

The families hired Egyptian lawyers who failed to gather any details and eventually dropped the case. The detained men belong to the al-Azameh Bedouin clan. While some relatives were informed that the arrests were not related to criminal offenses but to "a matter concerning Egypt's national security," one of the detainees reportedly called home from Taba stating they had been arrested and later told a friend that if he didn't return, it meant they were in Egyptian hands.

Former Knesset member Taleb el-Sana, acting on behalf of the families, has appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, but received only a vague response that the matter is being handled. El-Sana expressed frustration over the lack of progress and information, contrasting it with how similar cases involving Israelis abroad are typically handled. Israeli officials, including from the Foreign Ministry, have confirmed that the three are under arrest but possess no further details, despite numerous inquiries. The Israeli ambassador to Egypt has not yet had his credentials confirmed by Cairo.