Egypt’s interim government is blaming Palestinian group Hamas for a recent spate of bombings. It says Hamas has smuggled thousands of militants into Egypt, and provided military training to the Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas has denied the claims.
Tensions with Hamas stretch back to the days of Hosni Mubarak.
In 2008, Egypt’s former president accused Hamas of bombings in the Sinai region and of spreading fundamentalism. He tried, unsuccessfully, to shut the tunnels that link Sinai to Gaza, the Hamas heartland.
"The tunnels, are managed by Hamas. They started as a source of food for the poverty stricken Gaza but then turned into a multi billion dollar smuggling business for the group. Everything from food, petrol, stolen cars, drugs, even weapons and militants’. Ahmed Sayed, Editor of Al Ahaly Magazine said.
The tunnel network flourished under Mubarak’s successor, Mohamed Morsi.
Hamas is a long-standing ally of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood.
The Egyptian government says the Brotherhood and Hamas are one entity - intent on spreading terror - to avenge the ousting of Morsi five months ago. It claims they helped plan attacks in several cities - including last month’s suicide bombing on a police station north of Cairo that killed 16 people.
"The brotherhood leaders worked with Hamas which hosted them in Gaza and provided logistical support and training on different types of arms and weapons at the Qassam Brigade camps in Gaza. We have evidence that their elements were involved in the bombing of the security headquarters in Daqahliya." Mohamed Ibrahim, Egyptian Minister of Interior said.
The Brotherhood has repeatedly denied it’s to blame for the violence. And Hamas too insists it is not involved - though it has conceded it has close ties to the Brotherhood.
"Hamas tried to ease tensions with the current leadership but the government refused unless the group closes all the tunnels and stops cooperation with the brotherhood, something Hamas is reluctant to do."
The government says two thousand Hamas militants came through the tunnels during Morsi’s rule. A military operation has been underway in the Sinai since his ouster. That’s to seal the tunnels, and wipe out the gunmen. The army says it has achieved 80% of its targets so far.
