Cairo revoked the Egyptian citizenship of Sader Mohamed Hassan Awad, a 24-year-old man born in Israel with Israeli citizenship, after it was alleged he obtained foreign nationality without the proper permissions from Egyptian authorities, the country’s media reported earlier this week.
Under Law No. 26 of 1975, Egyptian citizens are required to receive official approval from Egypt before obtaining another citizenship.
The revocation of Awad’s citizenship came after the Interior Ministry approved 21 Egyptians' requests to seek foreign citizenship.
To apply for a second citizenship, the applicant is expected to fill out three forms, which are free to obtain, and provide the relevant documentation, according to Cairo’s consulate to the UK.
Revoking Egyptian citizenship over Zionism
Despite having normalized ties with the Jewish state, Cairo’s law indicates that anyone “described to be Zionist at any time” can be stripped of their citizenship, according to the Washington Institute.
In 2019, Yasmine Nissim, a 21-year-old Egyptian woman living in Israel, lost her Egyptian citizenship after she sought Israeli citizenship without informing Cairo.
According to the institute, Nissim was the granddaughter of Muhammad Nissim, a former Egyptian intelligence operative who was involved in past espionage operations against Israel.