Hamas demands Egyptian clarification following report military has plans to strike terror targets in strip.

Hamas demands Egyptian clarification following report military has plans to strike terror targets in strip.(TOI).

Hamas has demanded clarifications from the Egyptian government following reports on Thursday thatEgypt was planning to strike Gaza as part as its ongoing anti-terror campaign in the Sinai Peninsula.

Palestinian News Agency Ma’an and Israeli daily Maariv both reported on Thursday that Egypt has drafted plans for attacking targets in the Gaza Strip, to be implemented in case an escalation in violence against Egyptian troops in Sinai occurs.

“As these media outlets repeat the claim of threats against the [Gaza] Strip, we demand an official position from the Egyptian government regarding these statements, which threaten the national security and stability of the Palestinian people,” government spokesman Ihab Al-Ghosein wrote on his Facebook page. 

Hamas has long accused Egyptian media of partaking in a campaign of incitement against it, aided by Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement following the ouster of president Mohammed Morsi, an ally of Hamas, in July. This is the first time, however, that a Hamas official requests clarifications from the new Egyptian government on these statements.

“If an official denial emerges, we demand an end to the immoral statements by some Egyptian media. But if this language of incitement continues, it will be a clear indication of the true intentions against our brave people.”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy tacitly threatened Hamas in an interview with London-based daily Al-Hayat on September 24, saying Egypt would respond “forcefully” if it felt that “Hamas or other elements are trying to harm Egypt’s national security.”

Hamas’ Deputy Foreign Minister Ghazi Hamad called Fahmy’s statements “a dangerous escalation increasing animosity.”