About 1,000 African migrants have marched out of an Israeli detention centre in protest at their treatment and are camped out by the border after Israel’s army prevented them from crossing into Egypt.
Updated: June 29, 2014, 12:00 AM
In pictures: African asylum-seekers march out of Israeli detention facility
The migrants are imploring the UN to help resettle them elsewhere. Finbarr O’Reilly/Reuters
“We cannot continue living in a cage in the desert, with no release date and no judicial review,” migrant activists said in a statement. Finbarr O’Reilly/Reuters
About 50,000 Africans have poured into Israel from Egypt in recent years. Menahem Kahana/AFP Photo
The Africans say they are fleeing persecution and danger. Israel says many are looking for employment. Menahem Kahana/AFP Photo
Some believe Israel’s history as a refuge for Holocaust survivors compels it to help the downtrodden. Menahem Kahana/AFP Photo
Others fear taking in so many Africans will threaten the country’s Jewish character. Menahem Kahana/AFP Photo
An African asylum seeker stands in the shade of trees during a protest after leaving Holot open detention centre in southern Israel’s Negev desert on June 28, 2014. Finbarr O’Reilly/Reuters
Israel has struggled with how to deal with the African migrants. Menahem Kahana/AFP Photo