Egypt denies rumours it 'ceded' possession of Greek island

Egypt has denied reports that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi "handed over" control of the Mediterranean island of Chios to Greece in a maritime boundary treaty signed last year.

The Cabinet's Information and Decision Support Centre [IDSC] released a statement on Tuesday, saying the allegations that Sisi gave up possession the Greek island were "totally false".

Last week, a former official in the department of religious endowments claimed during a televised interview that Egypt owned endowments on the island of Thasos and that Greek authorities had stopped paying $1 million in rent in 2015.

"The island of Chios belongs to Greece and has not for a single day belonged to Egypt," the statement read.

It added that Egypt does, however, own endowments on the island of Thasos which were a gift from to the Ottoman Sultan to 19th-century ruler Mohammad Ali Pasha and that it has not ceded the property.

Despite the mix-up in the islands' names and the inaccuracy of the reports, the rumours have stirred controversy in Egypt.

An MP has already asked the government for a clarification on the media "reports" and the Arabic-language hashtag #ChiosIsEgyptianYouTheives has gained traction on Twitter.

Egyptians are still reeling from Sisi decision in April to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, which provoked outrage and accusations that Sisi "sold" them in return for Saudi investments.

Police had arrested dozens of activists ahead of an April 25 protest over the deal, after more than 1,000 people chanted for "the fall of the regime" in an earlier demonstration in Cairo.

An Egyptian administrative court ruled in June that the islands of Tiran and Sanafir, strategically situated at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba, must remain under Egyptian sovereignty.

But the government has appealed the decision.

In separate news, a major fire broke out on the island of Chios on Friday, destroying a forested area and injuring six people.