Three Israeli citizens from Segev Shalom were detained in Egypt while on their way back to Israel, and all contact with them was lost on March 21. Their families still do not know where they are being held, what condition they are in, or exactly what led to their detention.
The three men - a 27-year-old married father of two, a 28-year-old married father of five, and a 25-year-old man - are members of the al-Azazmeh Bedouin tribe.
According to details of the case published by Ynet, the three were traveling from Sharm el-Sheikh toward the Taba border crossing after finishing their vacation. Before they reached the border terminal, they were removed from the taxi they were traveling in and transferred to Egyptian vehicles. According to information provided to their families, the men who took them were Egyptian intelligence officers.
Just before contact was lost, one of the detainees managed to notify his family: “They’re arresting us." He sent another message to a friend in Israel: “They’re detaining us, but I’ll be back tomorrow. If not, you should know that we are in Egyptian custody."
For months, the families refrained from going public. They hoped that quietly handling the case would lead to their relatives’ release, but time passed without any answers.
The families also tried to act through lawyers in Egypt. Two local attorneys hired to find out what had happened to the detainees were unable to obtain any information and later withdrew from the case.
A response from the Israeli Foreign Ministry indicates that information about the three men’s situation is also limited in Jerusalem. Merav Marks, director of the ministry’s Department of Diplomatic and Civil Law, said that Israeli authorities had managed to obtain confirmation that the three were indeed being detained, but nothing beyond that.
“Based on the inquiries we have conducted, since March 21, when the Foreign Ministry learned that your clients had lost contact, we have been working with the relevant authorities in Egypt to obtain information about their condition. To our understanding, our representatives were able to obtain confirmation that the three are being held in detention. Unfortunately, there is no additional information, despite numerous inquiries we have made on this matter with the relevant authorities in Egypt," the ministry said.