Hamas warns to retaliate any Egyptian attack on Gaza

Hamas militants will retaliate if the Egyptian army wages attacks against the Islamic movement in the Gaza Strip, a senior Hamas official warned on Sunday.

Mahmoud al-Zahar, Hamas strongman, told a political seminar that he rules out any Egyptian war on Gaza, but said "under the current situation, everything is possible, and Hamas will respond to any Egyptian attack on Gaza."

Ties between Hamas and Egypt deteriorated since the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, which was followed by security crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood members and supporters leaving hundreds of them dead while thousands others are on trials.

Matters got worse when an Egyptian court decided in two consecutive sessions that both Hamas and its armed wing al-Qassam Brigades are outlawed and termed them as terrorist organizations.

Officially, Egypt has not charged Hamas of any actions against its security, but Egyptian media has been accusing Hamas militants of disturbing the national security of Egypt and aiding and training militants in Sinai.

However, Zahar said that his movement "is looking forward to establishing a good relation with Egypt whatever the political area of the current administration is."

"In case the Egyptian court annuls its decisions, we will welcome this, and then we will politically build on this step and most probably it will be the start of a new good and stable relation between Hamas and Egypt," he said.

Meanwhile, Zahar accused Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah Party of suffocating the Gaza Strip by obstructing the consensus government and helping to keep the blockade imposed on the enclave. Enditem