GAZA CITY (AA) – The Hamas-led government in the Gaza Strip dismissed all Egyptian accusations, official or otherwise, leveled against Gaza and Hamas.
GAZA CITY (AA) – The Hamas-led government in the Gaza Strip dismissed all Egyptian accusations, official or otherwise, leveled against Gaza and Hamas.
“Gaza has not and will not interfere in Egypt’s domestic affairs,” government spokesman Ehab al-Ghaseen told a press conference on Sunday.
“We deeply regret a smear and incitement campaign against Gaza by official and unofficial bodies in Egypt.”
The Gaza government lamented that some in Egypt are now calling for using military force against Gaza.
The Egyptian army’s crackdown on Egypt-Gaza border tunnels has squeezed the beleaguered Gaza Strip, which relies heavily on goods smuggled from Egypt.
According to a recent UN report, 80 percent of all tunnel transport activity has been brought to a halt as a result of the Egyptian army’s recent demolition activities.
Al-Ghaseen also regretted the arrest, by Egyptian army, of five Palestinian fishermen.
“They were beaten and thrown in jail. We demand their release,” he said.
The government spokesman also denied earlier claims by the Egyptian army spokesman that recent attacks in the Sinai Peninsula were linked to Hamas and Gaza.
Colonel Ahmed Ali told a press conference that some of the bomb shells found in the possession of terrorists in Sinai had the tag of Hamas military wing, the Ezz al-Din al-Qassam Brigade.
“Hamas has nothing to do with such shells,” al-Ghaseen insisted.
“They were smuggled to Egypt by rival Fatah to defame and frame Hamas,” he added.
During a press conference in July, Hamas showed documents it said implicated Fatah in a smear campaign against Gaza and Hamas.
Some of the documents talked about smuggling al-Qassam-stamped shells to be used against targets in Egypt.
The Egyptian army has launched an onslaught against militant groups thought to be based in the Sinai Peninsula, which borders Israel and the Gaza Strip.
The Sinai Peninsula has been the center of rising tension since the 2011 January 25 revolution, which toppled Hosni Mubarak after 30 years in power.
