Hamas Says Israeli Claim It Supported Sinai Attacks 'Propaganda'
Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Friday dismissed as "propaganda" an Israeli claim that it provided support related to this week's jihadist attacks against Egyptian soldiers in Sinai.
"The occupation's (Israel) statements about Hamas helping IS are stupid accusations... and propaganda that aims to incite against Hamas," spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told AFP, referring to the Islamic State group, whose fighters carried out the attacks.
"Hamas has made efforts and taken stated measures to secure the border" between the Gaza Strip, which it controls, and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, he said.
"We are intent on (preserving) Egypt's security."
Israeli Major General Yoav Mordechai said in an interview in Arabic with Al-Jazeera television Thursday that Hamas had provided help to "groups supporting IS" for the attacks, claiming also that wounded jihadists had been smuggled into Gaza.
Medical and security officials said at least 70 people, mostly soldiers, were killed in Wednesday's attacks and hours of clashes, along with dozens of jihadists.
There have however been growing tensions between Hamas and extremist splinter groups in Gaza, including those claiming links to IS.
Such tensions have deepened since last summer, when Israel and Hamas fought a deadly 50-day war in and around Gaza.
The extremists have made no secret of their disdain for Hamas over its observance of a tacit ceasefire with Israel and its failure to implement Islamic law.
Gaza militants who said they supported IS claimed responsibility for three separate attacks in May, including a rocket attack on a base of Hamas' armed wing.
They also have claimed responsibility for rockets recently fired at southern Israel in defiance of the truce, prompting Israel to retaliate with air strikes.
03 July 2015, 17:20
11
Hamas can say what they want, but it wasn't Israel that stated categorically that anti-aircraft weapons in use by the terrorists in Sinai were obtained from Hamas in Gaza, it was Egypt.
"Hamas has made efforts and taken stated measures to secure the border" between the Gaza Strip, which it controls, and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, he said."
Unfortunately I don't know how to say BULLSHIT in Arabic.
03 July 2015, 17:35
20
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/183755-israel-says-hamas-linked-to-is-assault-on-egyptian-army
03 July 2015, 17:36
20
say it in hebrew then philipo, i'm sure you know the word for it, and it will be more likely to be understood by those concerned.
03 July 2015, 17:37
20
The claims made by israeli are clearly BS, since IS and Hamas are practically at war against one another. It's just a way for the masters at deception to get Egypt to adopt an even harsher stance against Hamas.
And very sane observer knows IS is nothing more than a covert extension of israeli secret services, used to spread chaos across the Arab world, create an awful image of Muslims internationally and slaughter minorities to create a uniform demographic configuration enabling the "clash of civilizations"
03 July 2015, 17:57
12
I'm confident Egypt can distinguish between clearly false claims and claims that are likely true. My sense is that Egypt will give greater credibility to claims from a Muslim government that to claims made by Israel, where there is doubt. If Egypt is accepting the claims against Hamas, regardless of who is making them, they likely have corroboration of the claims truthfulness.
