Egypt’s press syndicate council called on Thursday for the release of journalists Hossam El-Seweify and Ahmed Abdel-Aziz, who were arrested last week after covering a protest at the syndicate headquarters in Cairo against US President Donald Trump’s recent decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

"The council condemns the arrest of the journalists, who were doing their job by covering the sit-in,” the council said in a statement released after an urgent meeting, adding that there have been repeated incidents involving the arrest of journalists in recent months.

The statement called on the state to provide all necessary healthcare to the arrested journalists, adding that the syndicate will provide them with legal assistance.

The syndicate also called on security apparatuses to reveal the circumstances behind the arrest of journalist Islam Abdel-Aziz Farahat, who was arrested at Cairo International Airport earlier this month while on his way to board a flight to Kuwait.