Police today captured forty seven Eritreans and one Somali traveling in a vegetable truck on their way to the Ahmed Hamdi tunnel under the Suez canal.

The forty eight African migrants were attempting to enter Sinai on their way to Israel. This is the third such capture in December of migrants attempting to cross illegally into Israel.

There are reported to be over 35,000 Africans in Israel who have made the journey forcing the Israeli government to announce plans to secure the border with Egypt. Politicians in the country have voiced, in varying degrees of alarm, concern over the threat to Israel's "character" the migrants pose.

The Egyptian government has faced international criticism and calls for its border guards to stop shooting migrants as they try to enter Israel.