Syria war refugees held in Egypt launch hunger strike

[World News Headlines -]

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Dozens of Syrian and Palestinian refugees detained in the Egyptian city of Alexandria for trying to illegally migrate to Europe went on a hunger strike Friday, a UN official said. "Since today, they have been refusing to eat food supplied by the UNHCR through our partner there," the official who works for the UN refugee agency told AFP. The group was detained when hundreds of refugees, including Palestinians, who had fled the war in Syria for Egypt tried to leave the North African country illegally, the official said. The UNHCR's regional representative, Mohamed Dayri, has told AFP that Egypt gave the refugees a choice of paying for a return ticket to Syria and neighbouring countries or staying in Egyptian prisons for an indefinite period.

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