Egypt detains Israeli tourist after bullets discovered in her guitar case

Egypt detains Israeli tourist after bullets discovered in her guitar case
The bullets are thought to be left over from the traveller's military service, compulsory in Israel.
2 min read
07 October, 2019
The Taba border crossing is popular with Israeli tourists holidaying in the Sinai [Getty]
The Egyptian authorities arrested a 23-year-old Israeli woman at the border crossing between Israeli and the Sinai peninsula, detaining her for 40 hours in jail after finding 16 bullets in her guitar case.

The case was resolved by the consul-general in Cairo, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The bullets were thought to have been left in the woman’s bag from her army service.

Israel’s foreign ministry issued a statement following the incident reminding its citizens to check their belongings before travelling, as on several occasions Israelis have been detained while abroad for inadvertently having leftover ammunition among their possessions.

Military service is compulsory in Israel upon finishing school, with women completing two years and men usually completing two years and eight months.

Until a 2018 loosening on gun restrictions in Israel, all servicemen and women were required to return their firearm after completing their service.

Now, army officers ranked first lieutenant or higher can hold onto their weapons without applying for a permit.

Egypt is one of few Arab countries that permits entry to Israeli travellers, following the peace deal struck between the two neighbours in 1978.

The Sinai is popular with Israeli tourists, who can enter at the Taba land crossing.

Egypt has arrested several foreign tourists recently for taking photos around Cairo. 

The authorities accused of them taking part in rare anti-government protests provoked by allegations of widespread corruption within the regime of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

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