Egyptian brotherhood members held

The Brotherhood has been protesting against Israel and the US

Egyptian police have detained 29 opposition Muslim Brotherhood members in dawn raids in Alexandria.

One of those held is the secretary-general of the local medical union, Ibrahim Zaafarani.

A spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood said about 250 of its members were in detention ahead of local elections, expected to take place in two months.

The Muslim Brotherhood is officially prohibited in Egypt, but allowed to function within certain limits.

The party says Mr Zaafarani suffers from heart disease and is scheduled to undergo surgery this week.

The party has been holding protests in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip under blockade by Israel.

The municipal elections were postponed in 2006, in what analysts said was an attempt by the authorities to prevent more election success for the Muslim Brotherhood, after its gains in the 2005 parliamentary vote.

Brotherhood-supporting MPs hold more than one-fifth of seats in parliament, sitting as "independents" because of their party's illegal status.