Egypt Declares Hamas A Terrorist Organization

An Egyptian court of urgent matters declared on Saturday the Palestinian group Hamas as a “terrorist” organisation.

Samir Sabry, a lawyer, accused Hamas Leader Khaled Meshaal of “planning an escalation against the Egyptian army in Sinai,” in the lawsuit he filed to designate Hamas a “terrorist” organisation.

An urgent matters court had turned down the case on January 26, citing its lack of jurisdiction. It referred the case to a different judicial circuit, which issued Saturday’s ruling.

In the details of its ruling, the court accused Hamas of targeting civilians, policemen and military men in attacks it carried out in support of the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

Hamas criticised the court ruling in a statement issued by its spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri. He described the ruling as “surprising” and “dangerous” adding that it “targets the Palestinian people and the movements of resistance.”

Egypt banned the activities of Hamas, which governs the Palestinian Gaza Strip, as per a court ruling issued in March 2014 and ordered the closure of all its offices nationwide.

Militants have escalated attacks targeting security forces in Egypt, particularly in the Sinai Peninsula, since the army’s ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July 2013, which came after mass protests against his rule.

Egyptian authorities have been accusing Hamas, a strong ally of Mursi’s regime, of supporting militant attacks which target security forces.

An Egyptian court of urgent matters declared on January 31 al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Gaza-ruling Hamas movement, as a terrorist organisation, banning its activities in the country.