Egypt condemns Hamas raid on Egyptian culture center in Gaza

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned the raid by Palestinian Hamas movement on Saturday on the Egyptian culture center in Gaza and the detaining of several Egyptians, Egypt's official news agency MENA reported. "The Foreign Ministry strongly condemns and denounces this irresponsible act and demands an urgent release of the Egyptian workers ..." the statement said. "Egypt totally rejects attempts to touch the Egyptian interests and also opposes the denounced practices by certain faction (in reference to Hamas), which doesn't represent the Palestinian people," the statement read, adding that "Egypt won't tolerate such practices." Earlier in the day, Egyptian Ambassador in the West Bank, Yasser Othman, accused Hamas of breaking into the Egyptian cultural center in Gaza and arresting its director, who bears dual Palestinian and Egyptian nationality. Othman said the center provides services for thousands of Palestinians who obtained the Egyptian nationality recently since they were born to Egyptian mothers. Such measures by Hamas harm the historic relations between the Egyptian and Palestinian peoples and convey a negative message to the Egyptian public opinion, Othman told Xinhua. Local media said Hamas arrested Adel Abdul-Rahman, director of the center, for issuing a statement supporting Egypt's June 30 demonstrations that led to the overthrow of Islamist-oriented President Mohamed Morsi. The relations between Egypt and Hamas have sharply deteriorated since the July 3 ouster of Morsi, whose Muslim Brotherhood movement is the regional guardian of Gaza's Hamas rulers. But Hamas Interior Ministry denied any attack on Saturday, saying the security forces summoned and arrested the center's chief based on an order issued by the attorney general for questioning him on criminal issues, according to ministry spokesperson Islam Shahwan. Shahwan also argued that the center does not represent the Egyptian people in Gaza. Egypt has always accused Hamas of aiding Morsi by fueling insurgency in the restive Sinai Peninsula. As a result, the Egyptian forces stepped up their clampdown on smuggling tunnels beneath Gaza-Egypt borders, which serve as Hamas' lifeline. Egypt also restricted travels through Rafah border crossing, Gaza's main gate to the outside world, to humanitarian cases and holders of foreign residency permits, effectively banning Hamas leaders from travelling abroad.