Death sentences test fragile Hamas-Egypt ties

The Egyptian court’s death sentence ruling against ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, along with some Muslim Brotherhood leaders and Hamas members, has destabilized already fragile relations between Hamas and Cairo.
Former Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi waves during his trial at a court in the outskirts of Cairo, May 16, 2015. An Egyptian court on Saturday sought the death penalty for former president Mohamed Mursi and more than 100 other members of the Muslim Brotherhood in connection with a mass jail break in 2011. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RTX1D7JE
Mohammed Morsi waves during his trial at a court in the outskirts of Cairo, May 16, 2015. - REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
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Adnan Abu Amer
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Egypt-Hamas ties took a dramatic turn May 16 as the Cairo Criminal Court referred the death sentence against ousted President Mohammed Morsi, along with 105 others, including the Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohammed Badie, to Egypt's Grand Mufti.

Hamas was provoked by the Egyptian ruling that targeted some Hamas members, including a prisoner and several who are now dead, namely Raed al-Atar, who was killed in the Gaza war last August; Hossam al-Sanea, who was killed in 2008; Tayseer Abu Snaimeh, who was killed during an Israeli raid on Rafah in 2011; and Hassan Salameh, who has been detained in Israeli prisons since 1996 and is sentenced to 48 years in prison.

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