The declining relationship between Hamas, Egypt
Many issues are adding fuel to the fiery relations between Hamas and Egypt.
The unstable relationship between Egypt and Hamas in Gaza is unlikely to improve soon, as new pressures join long-standing tensions between the two. Even news that most consider positive — that the Rafah crossing could be reopening — is causing friction.
Egypt’s ongoing closure of the Rafah crossing is a particularly sensitive issue. The Ministry of Interior in Gaza announced Oct. 16 that the number of people who need to travel through the crossing has reached more than 25,000 people since the beginning of 2015, as Egypt has only opened the crossing for 19 intermittent days this year.
In an interview with Al-Monitor, Deputy Minister of Interior Kamel Abu Madi called on Egypt to recognize “the need to open the Rafah crossing permanently, lift the siege off Gaza, assume its responsibility toward Gaza and allow goods and people to enter the strip.”
During his Nov. 8 visit to Egypt, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas discussed the Rafah crossing and agreed with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on a new plan to open the crossing once its management is handed over to the consensus government and the Presidential Guard. The opening will also depend on the security situation in Sinai.
