Hamas delegation reassures Egypt over Rafah killings

Moussa Abu Marzouk, the Deputy Head of the political bureau of Hamas has reassured the Egyptians that the Islamic Resistance Movement respects Egypt’s national security and was not involved in the armed incident in Rafah last August when 16 soldiers were killed. A delegation led by Abu Marzouk met with the founder of the Egyptian Popular Trend, Hamdeen Sabahi, on Thursday.

The Palestinian leader added that Hamas will not be a party to any internal political conflict in Egypt, nor will it align with one group against the others. He stressed his willingness to cooperate fully with the Egyptian authorities to establish the facts of the attack last year.

Sabahi, meanwhile, confirmed the Popular Trend’s commitment to the Palestinian cause at the heart of Egyptian national security. He insisted that although his party is in opposition to the Muslim Brotherhood it will not affect its position in support of all Palestinian resistance groups, including Hamas, as long as it is working for Palestinian rights.

The opposition politician emphasized the importance of the Rafah crossing into Gaza being kept open for people and goods, as well as the closure of all tunnels. He called on the Egyptian presidency to fulfil its promises in this regard, especially those that were made during the Mubarak era.