Egypt and Hamas locked in dispute over worsening Gaza crisis
Egypt and Hamas are locked in a dispute after the militant group cast doubt on Cairo’s claim that it is doing everything it can to alleviate Palestinian suffering in Gaza, according to The National on August 1st.
The public row has emerged amid rapidly rising domestic and international pressure on the Egyptian government. In an unprecedented event on the night of July 25th, a group of Egyptian citizens infiltrated the state security headquarters in Helwan police station, where they detained officials for hours to protest Egypt’s role in the closure of the Rafah border crossing.
Global protests also erupted outside Egyptian embassies in condemnation of the Egyptian government’s inaction. Cairo has since airdropped humanitarian packages and sent aid trucks through the crossing.
This was made possible after Israel announced it would implement daily “tactical pauses” in its bombardment of Gaza. This move came amid vast international pressure on Israel to mitigate the onset of famine within the besieged territory.
Sources reported that relations between Egypt and Hamas initially took a sour turn after Egypt, among other Arab nations, urged the militant group to disarm and relinquish power in a bid to put an end to the war.
The confrontation may have significant implications for regional stability, especially considering the fact that Egypt, acting as a mediator in Gaza peace negotiations, has often been perceived as favouring Hamas.
Despite its zero-tolerance policy for Islamist groups at home, Cairo’s mediation role to end prior wars between Israel and Hamas had previously strengthened the relationship between Egypt and Hamas.
The dispute is likely to be welcomed by Israel, whose narrative places responsibility for the starvation in Gaza on Hamas by accusing the group of hijacking aid and using it or selling it to Palestinians for a profit. However, the credibility of this claim is questionable, especially considering two Israeli military officials recently revealed that there is no proof of Hamas stealing aid.
In a statement, Hamas’ Central Emergency Committee denounced Egypt’s account of its aid efforts as “essentially an excuse to cover its negligence in assuming a humanitarian, moral and Arab duty towards Gaza.”
The statement continued in saying that “it’s time that Egypt, with all its weight and prestige, shift away from the logic of ‘neutral mediation’ to a decisive moral position on the side of Gaza.”
Senior Hamas member and chief ceasefire negotiator, Khalil Al Haya, repeated the accusations. He also addressed the Egyptian nation on Telegram: “People of Egypt, its leaders, army, clans, tribes, scientists, Al Azhar, churches and elite: Will you let your brothers in Gaza die of hunger when they are near you across the border?”
The Egyptian government has yet to publicly respond. However, there has been a stern response by television talk show hosts loyal to the regime.
One of the most outspoken of them all, Ahmed Moussa, responded to Hamas on July 30th, citing the millions of dollars that Egypt has spent to help Palestinians.
In reference to Hamas’ October 7th 2023 attacks on Israel, he blamed the group for “the destruction of the Palestinian cause and the genocide of Palestinians.” He continued in saying that “you destroyed Gaza, and we are saving Gaza,” directly addressing Khalil Al Haya. Such accusations have never before been made by an Egyptian media figure.
According to sources, Egypt has sent robust warnings to Hamas’ leadership to stop criticising Egypt’s handling of the war in Gaza.
The National, Maghrebi.org, CNN
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