Hamas official detained at Cairo Airport
Hamas official detained at Cairo Airport
Hassan al-Saifi, a Hamas official, has reportedly been detained in Cairo airport since Monday.
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An Egyptian flag on display in a protest in Gaza [AFP]
An official from the Palestinian Hamas movement has been detained at Cairo airport as he tried to enter Egypt, an airport source said on Tuesday.
Hassan al-Saifi, whose name reportedly features on an Egyptian watch list, was detained on arrival on Monday, the source said. He is thought to still be at the airport and will likely be deported.
It was not immediately clear why he was detained.
The news comes as Egypt temporarily opened Rafah border crossing with Gaza for four days, and Saifi might have been trying to reach the Israeli-blockaded enclave.
Egypt, under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has had strained relations with the armed Islamist movement that controls the neighbouring Gaza Strip.
Hamas has been linked to the Muslim Brotherhood movement of Egypt's former president, Mohamed Morsi, toppled by Sisi in 2013 when he was army chief.
An Egyptian court had blacklisted Hamas as a terrorist organisation, but the ruling was overturned on appeal earlier this year.
Hassan al-Saifi, whose name reportedly features on an Egyptian watch list, was detained on arrival on Monday, the source said. He is thought to still be at the airport and will likely be deported.
It was not immediately clear why he was detained.
The news comes as Egypt temporarily opened Rafah border crossing with Gaza for four days, and Saifi might have been trying to reach the Israeli-blockaded enclave.
Egypt, under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has had strained relations with the armed Islamist movement that controls the neighbouring Gaza Strip.
Hamas has been linked to the Muslim Brotherhood movement of Egypt's former president, Mohamed Morsi, toppled by Sisi in 2013 when he was army chief.
An Egyptian court had blacklisted Hamas as a terrorist organisation, but the ruling was overturned on appeal earlier this year.
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