In a Thursday statement, the prosecutor speaking on condition of anonymity said the six Israelis and one Egyptian would be tried in absentia, along with two Egyptians now in custody, on charges of espionage for Israel.

The Israeli suspects include four intelligence officers who Egyptian authorities say had recruited the Egyptians to spy for them, a source in the prosecutor's office said.

The prosecutor's statement said the Egyptians were accused of giving the Israelis information that could damage Egyptian national security, including details on the security situation in Egypt and the location of army bases in the Sinai Peninsula.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said he did not know of any Israeli under arrest or being charged in Egypt. "It is unclear where such odd rumors emanate from," he said.

This month Egyptian authorities detained an Egyptian they said had been recruited by Israeli spy agency Mossad in 2011.