Official: Egypt seeks rapprochement with Hamas

Hamas has received positive information from an Egyptian official in Qatar stating that Cairo wants to improve its bilateral relations with the movement, a senior official said.

In an interview with Al-Aqsa TV aired on Saturday evening, Hamas’s foreign relations chief Osama Hamdan welcomed Egypt’s decision to remove Hamas from a list of terrorist organisations.

Hamdan said he hoped the decision is a beginning for a new relationship which aims to solve the many Palestinian issues.

“We are not just talking about the relationship between Hamas and Egypt, but rather a strategic relationship based on the Egyptian role towards the Palestinian cause,” Hamdan said, noting the importance of the Arab role in pushing to end the siege on the Gaza Strip.

Hamdan stressed that Hamas’s policy of non-interference in the affairs of other states, especially Egypt has not changed, pointing out that “everyone realises that we do not interfere in the affairs of others”.

On domestic affairs, Hamdan expressed his regret that the Palestinian unity government has failed to carry out its responsibilities a year after its formation, saying the government fabricated problems so as not to perform its duties.