Israel's military said it detained an Egyptian civilian overnight after he crossed a border fence from Egypt into Israel near Nitzana. The man was handed over to security forces for further questioning, according to the military's announcement on Tuesday.
The military gave no further information about the man's identity or his reasons for crossing. It also did not say whether he was carrying anything when he was taken into custody.
Israeli state broadcaster Kan 11 reported that surveillance systems spotted the suspect as he crossed the border. Troops were then sent to the location and arrested him.
Nitzana is a small community in the western Negev (Naqab) Desert in southern Israel, located right next to the Egyptian frontier opposite the Egyptian area of Al-Awja. The nearby Nitzana crossing, also called the Eliav crossing, mainly handles cargo moving between the two countries and is not a major route for passengers. It sits about 75km (47 miles) south of Beersheba.
The detention comes while Israel keeps its alert level high along the Egyptian border. Israeli outlet Ynet reported that the military was taking the incident seriously and that an investigation was under way.
Egyptian officials have not commented publicly on the detention.
Smuggling of drugs and weapons occurs across the frontier between Egypt and Israel. The two neighbours signed a peace treaty in 1979, though relations between them have remained largely cool.
Ynet also noted that the crossing happened less than a year after Israel's defence minister ordered the area next to the Egyptian border to be declared a closed military zone. The minister also announced changes to open-fire regulations, following earlier smuggling activity in the area.
