Hamas says blacklisting it as terrorist makes Egypt unfit as mediator

The Islamic Hamas movement on Monday said that the decision of an Egyptian court to brand it as a terrorist group makes Egypt unfit as a mediator in Palestinian issues.

"The decision earlier this week to list Hamas as among terrorist groups isolates Egypt" and makes Cairo unfit to intervene in Palestinian issues related to the Gaza Strip," said Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman in Gaza.

Egypt had been a mediator between Hamas and Israel to reach truces in previous Israeli military offensives on the Gaza Strip and also mediated a prisoner swap deal between the two sides in 2011.

Egypt also mediated a reconciliation agreement and a series of understandings between Hamas and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas Fatah Party.

On Saturday, a Cairo court ruled that the Hamas movement be outlawed as a terrorist group. Last month, the same court designated the armed wing of Hamas al-Qassam Brigades as a terrorist group.

Some Egyptian media outlets have accused Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, of aiding militants that carry out deadly attacks on Egyptian security personnel in Sinai.

Ties between Hamas and Egypt were severed after the ouster of Islamic president of Egypt Mohamed Morsi in 2011, and the subsequent outlawing of the Muslim Brotherhood movement. Endit