(KUNA) -- An Egyptian official said Thursday he is currently holding talks with Israel for the release of 26 Egyptian prisoners who have been detained by the Israelis for minor charges like smuggling or illegal border crossing. The assistant foreign minister for consular affairs, ambassador Mohammad Mensi, said in a press release that the prisoners will return immediately after security procedures have been completed.The official said that according to Israeli reports, those who illegally crossed the borders this year reached 300, 65 of them were Egyptians, and the rest were from other nationalities. Mensi also denied reports that Egyptian prisoners in Israeli jails were on a hunger strike, but confirmed that four prisoners, last October, observed such a strike in Negev prison.