Hamas refutes Egypt accusation of prompting uprising jailbreak

Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, on Thursday called for forming an independent committee to probe the Egyptian accusations that its militants raided an Egyptian prison and freed detainees in 2011. The detainees, according to the Egyptian prosecution, included Mohammed Morsi, a Brotherhood member who was freely elected as Egyptian president a year after he escaped from the prison during the Egyptian uprising. "Hamas appeals to Palestinian, Egyptian, Arab, Islamic and world's public opinion to probe the unfair Egyptian accusations against Hamas that it intervened into Egypt's internal affairs," Hamas said in a statement. On Tuesday, Morsi appeared in front of an Egyptian trial to face charges that he got aid from foreign organizations, including Hamas, to escape from the prison during the uprising that toppled his long-time predecessor Hosni Mubarak. Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood won the 2012 Egyptian parliamentary elections and he himself was elected as president at the time. Last summer, the Egyptian military responded to public protests against the Brotherhood, ousting and arresting Morsi. Since the ouster of Morsi last July, the Egyptian media has been accusing Hamas of intervening into Egypt's internal security affairs and has been behind deadly attacks into Egypt. These accusations against Hamas took official color when the Egyptian prosecution raised them during Morsi's trial. Beside the media accusations, the Egyptian judiciary also accused Hamas for being involved in the unrest in Egypt, and there were public calls on the Egyptian army to strike on Hamas and its military wing in Gaza. "We affirmed before, during and after the revolution that Hamas doesn't intervene into Egypt's internal affairs. It is an interest for Hamas to keep Egypt strong and tranquil," said Hamas statement.