GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — On March 12, a Hamas delegation made a five-day visit to Cairo for the first time since the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt was overthrown on July 3, 2013. This was an important step toward the possibility of reviving the relations between Hamas and the current Egyptian regime and putting an end to the tension that has prevailed for years.
The Hamas delegation was formed of six prominent leaders, four of whom are from the Gaza Strip and members of the movement’s political bureau, namely Khalil al-Hayya, Mahmoud al-Zahar, Imad al-Alami and Nizar Awadallah, who traveled through the Rafah crossing that was opened especially for the delegation. From Doha, the deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau Mousa Abu Marzouk and political bureau member Maher Obeid joined.
The delegation’s visit to meet with officials from the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate (GID) came shortly after Egyptian Interior Minister Magdy Abdel Ghaffar accused Hamas of being involved in the assassination of former Egyptian Attorney-General Hisham Barakat in 2015, which points to Egypt’s willingness to appease tension with Hamas.
A Hamas political leader in Gaza told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that previously there had been contact by phone between the Hamas leadership and the GID to discuss the reasons behind the tension between the two parties, before Hamas heard the shocking Egyptian accusations in Barakat’s assassination.
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