Why Hamas Said No to Egypt's Sisi

by Khaled Abu Toameh • July 17, 2014 at 5:00 am

Hamas is probably interested in a cease fire, but not one that would bolster the standing of Sisi. Hamas is now aiming to replace Egypt with Qatar and Turkey. It now remains to be seen whether Qatar and Turkey will be able to save Hamas.

Palestinian Authority Health Minister Jawad Awwad is attacked by a mob upon exiting his official vehicle on a visit to Gaza.

Hamas's rejection of Egypt's proposal for a cease-fire with Israel did not come as a surprise to many Palestinians.

On Wednesday, Hamas announced that it had officially informed the Egyptians of its opposition to the cease-fire proposal, which had been issued by the Egyptian authorities 48 hours earlier.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that Hamas was opposed to any cease-fire that "does not meet, from the outset, the conditions of the resistance groups."

One of the reasons that Hamas rejected the proposal, Abu Zuhri said, was because the Egyptians did not consult with the Islamist movement before announcing it.

Hamas's conditions included the reopening of all border crossings and the lifting of the blockade that was imposed on the Gaza Strip seven years ago.

But Hamas's rejection of the Egyptian cease-fire plan should be seen in the context of its strained relations with the regime of President Abdel Fattah Sisi.

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