Hamas is ready to eliminate any obstacles ahead of regaining ties with Egypt, Palestine newspaper reported the movement’s Deputy Chief Ismail Haniyeh saying yesterday.
In a telephone call with the Under-Secretary of the Arab League Mohamed Sobhi, Haniyeh reiterated that the relationship between the Palestine and Egypt is historic; stressing that Hamas does not interfere in the internal affairs of Egypt or any other country.
“We are interested in the protection of Egypt’s security and we maintain similar stances towards all Egyptian sides,” Haniyeh said. “The Egyptian blood is not cheap for us,” he added.
On Saturday, an Egyptian court designated Hamas a “terrorist” organisation. The move was based on claims that the group had carried out attacks in Egypt via cross-border tunnels linking the Sinai Peninsula to the blockaded Gaza Strip.
The Egyptian courts have not offered any proof for their claims that Hamas is involved in any of the attacks, accusations that the Palestinian movement has always denied.
In March last year, the same court outlawed Hamas’s activities in Egypt and confiscated the group’s offices.
On Tuesday, the Egyptian authorities said it would arrest Hamas member found in the country. “Any [Hamas] member found in Egypt will be arrested and all their assets will be confiscated,” Justice Minister Mahfouz Saber told state daily newspaper Al-Ahram Al-Massai.