Egypt Court Declares Hamas' Military Wing 'Terrorist Group'

An Egyptian court on Saturday declared the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Palestinian group Hamas, a terrorist organization.



In a Saturday ruling, the Court of Urgent Matters referred to what it described as involvement of the Brigades in "several terrorist operations, the latest of which was an attack on a security checkpoint in October, in which 31 soldiers were killed.



The verdict came after lawyer Samir Sabri filed a lawsuit accusing Hamas' armed wing of being behind "terrorist attacks" in Egypt and "of using underground tunnels between Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip to smuggle weapons and funds."



On Monday, an Egypt court rejected a lawsuit calling for declaring Hamas a terrorist organization, citing lack of jurisdiction.



Saturday's court can be challenged within 15 days of the verdict.



Egyptian media accuse Hamas, an ideological offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, the group from which ousted President Mohamed Morsi hails, of standing behind the violence in Sinai.



The Palestinian faction has, however, repeatedly denied these accusations, saying it cannot act against Egypt's national security.



A number of Hamas members have been among the defendants in two trials that Morsi – a Muslim Brotherhood leader – currently faces for alleged espionage and jailbreak.



Saturday's verdict came two days after a series of attacks that targeted military and security sites in North Sinai, leaving at least 30 people dead.



The attacks were claimed by Ansar Beit al-Maqdis militant group, which changed its name to "Welayet Sinai" last year when it swore allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which controls vast swathes of territory in both Iraq and Syria.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Kahire