RAFAH, Egypt: Israeli authorities continue to hold three Egyptian children accused of infiltrating from Sinai to Israel to smuggle commodities. The children were arrested on July 14. The Israeli court refused the request of Palestinian lawyer Asmahan abdel-Hady to release them. The court delayed their prosecution for the second time upon a request from Israeli public prosecution. The court is scheduled to hear the case on Tuesday. According to sources, Israeli border guards arrested three Egyptian children, all under the age of 14, claiming that they infiltrated to Israeli territories to smuggle goods. Sinai Bedouins said Israeli border guards kidnapped the children while they were selling cigarettes to Israeli soldiers on the borders. Israel implemented the law of 1954, which prevents infiltration from enemy states and allows the punishment of infiltrators. Despite the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel, Israel hasn't amended the law and insists on prosecuting infiltrators. Egypt restores Israeli infiltrators to the borders after arresting them, without prosecution. After Youm7 published the story of the kidnapped children, the Egyptian embassy in Tel-Aviv conducted calls with the Israeli authorities to release the children. According to sources, the Israeli authorities procrastinate in releasing the children to pressure Egypt to release Israeli spy Ilan Chaim who was detained recently. Security sources in Sinai expected the children to be released to Egyptian authorities through Taba or Karm abu-Salem crossings. Read more on this story: - Egyptian children arrested by Israeli border guards - Israeli Court tries 3 Egyptian Bedouin children - Three children tried in Israel, Bedouins allege kidnapping
