Egyptian police kill Eritrean trying to sneak into Israel

Al-Arish, Egypt - Egyptian border police shot and killed one of five Eritreans who were allegedly trying to sneak into Israel through the country's southern Sinai border, security officials said Tuesday.

The border guards opened fire after the five refused to heed a call to surrender, a security official told dpa.

Egyptian authorities informed the Eritrean embassy in Cairo about the incident.

Every year hundreds of migrants, including asylum-seekers from Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Sudan, attempt to cross into Israel via Egypt.

Human rights groups have accused Egyptian authorities of mistreating them and have denounced both Israel and Egypt for migration policies that violate human rights and international obligations to refugees.

More than 10,000 Africans entered Israel illegally in 2011, according to Israeli immigration authorities.