Peace talk

Egypt makes surprise move against Hamas and Iran

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 03:04 pm

An Egyptian delegation that arrived in the Gaza Strip on Monday urged Hamas terror group to defuse the tensions with Israel and voiced Cairo’s concern over Hamas’ ties with Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

According to Al-Arabiya, Egyptians also warned Hamas against backing militia groups seeking to destabilize the region or joining Iran in any military escalation.

London-based Al-Akhbar also reported that Cairo relayed a message from Israel, saying that the Jewish state would retaliate if rocket attacks and incendiary balloon launches proceed – and the strike will have the support of both the US and larger international community.

The newspaper also said that Hamas chief in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, chose to skip the meeting with the Egyptian team for fear of an Israeli assassination attempt.

Palestinian sources say that no threatening messages were delivered and that the two sides discussed the ties between Egypt and Gaza and the Trump peace plan.

According to some previous reports, Cairo was losing its patience with Hamas after its senior official Ismail Haniyeh headed to Iran to the funeral for Qasem Soleimani.

This reportedly prompted Cairo to mull blocking him from coming back to the restive enclave for the coming months.