Like a whirling dervish seeking God’s mercy, the Palestinian Hamas movement continues to circle around the Middle East in search of solutions to its complicated problems. From Cairo to Doha to Tehran, each trip has its special purpose, yet all are the same when it comes to having to make decisions.

“After the Arab Spring, the decision-making process in our movement became complicated,” a Hamas official told Al-Monitor speaking on condition of anonymity. “We are at the mercy of geography [because Hamas officials are dispersed], ideology and financing. Therefore, on several occasions, our stances stir controversy. If Iran is happy, that means the [Muslim] Brotherhood might have reservations, and if Turkey and Qatar are OK with a move, then we wait for condemnation from Beirut or Damascus.”

On March 12, a senior Hamas delegation paid a surprising visit to Cairo to discuss bridging gaps with Egyptian security officials. Mousa Abu Marzouk, Hamas’ international relations officer, led the delegation and was accompanied by Mahmoud Azzahar, Khalil al-Haya, Emad al-Alami and Nizar Awadallah.

“This was the first meeting with the Egyptians in months,” the Hamas official told Al-Monitor. “There are a lot of differences between us, and the meetings were [geared] toward discussing them. It’s not only about requests to reopen the Rafah crossing. We have four men missing after being abducted in Egypt months ago, and we need to know what happened to them. The Egyptians also have some requests related to the situation in the Sinai.”