Haaba

EL-ARISH, Egypt, May 22, 2008 (AFP) - Egyptian authorities on Thursday received the body of a Bedouin who was shot dead by Israelis for illegally crossing the border with Egypt, a security official said.

'Egypt today received the body of Ayesh Suleiman Mussa, 30, a Sinai Bedouin who was shot and killed by authorities in Israel,' the official told AFP.

'He was killed after illegally crossing the border into Israel,' the official added.

The 250-kilometre (155-mile) Egyptian-Israeli frontier has become a major transit route for migrants and asylum-seekers.

Dozens of migrants, mainly Africans, have been arrested in recent months as Egyptian police try to halt the constant stream into Israel. Several have been killed while trying to make the crossing.