CAIRO, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Egyptian police detained at least 18 members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood on Tuesday after rallies protesting Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip, security sources said.

The Brotherhood confirmed the detentions, but said it was still checking whether the figure had risen.

Police detained the Brotherhood members on suspicion of illegal assembly, obstructing traffic and membership in an illegal organization, following a protest in Sharqia province.

On Monday, police detained 64 people in similar protests in the Nile Delta.

The government says the Brotherhood is an illegal organisation but allows it to operate openly within limits. The Brotherhood says more than 700 of its members are in detention.

The government and security agencies have been eager to suppress almost daily protests against the Israeli attacks on Gaza, in which protesters often condemn the government for what they see as its complicity in the blockade of the coastal strip.

Protesters have also criticised the Egyptian government for refusing to open the border with Gaza.

The Nile Delta and the Mediterranean city of Alexandria have seen Egypt's largest protests against the Israeli offensive against Gaza, which has killed more than 900 Palestinians since it began on Dec. 27. (Writing by Aziz El-Kaissouni; Editing by Jon Boyle)

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