Hamas’s ties with Egypt have seen better days political bureau member of Hamas Mahmoud al-Zahhar said Wednesday evening.
Speaking with Al Jazeera Mubasher Zahhar said the group’s bonds with Egypt have improved. “Yet Hamas cannot meet all of Cairo’s demands.”
“We long for lifting the siege; the Egyptians want commercial exchange” he stated.
Commenting on Hamas’s stopover in Cairo Zahhar said it aims to deny reports that militants are trained in Gaza before being sent to fight the Egyptian army in Sinai.
The Hamas official also said efforts have been underway by the group to disclose the fate of the four Palestinian captives kidnapped on the Egyptian borders.
Zahhar further stressed Hamas’s determination to defend the Palestinians against any projected Israeli offensives adding that rockets recently fired toward Israel are not from the Gaza-based Palestinian resistance.
“The Palestinian resistance has no other aim but the liberation of Palestine” Zahhar stated. “We have to defend ourselves. The Palestinian resistance dealt a heavy blow to Israel’s national security.”
As regards prisoner swap deals with Israel Zahhar said the Israelis have been striving to strike a deal with Hamas in order to release the soldiers held captive in Gaza.
“The latest deal was proposed by Israel only to silence the soldiers’ families” he noted. “Israel has done it all to reach an accord with Hamas since the end of the latest war on Gaza.”
Zahhar called on the Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to put into effect the terms of the Cairo-brokered reconciliation accord.
“In order for national reconciliation to see the day the PA has to cease all forms of security coordination with the Israeli occupation” the Hamas leader further stated.
