Hamas deploys forces to Gaza-Egypt border
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Hamas forces patrol an area along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on April 21, 2016. ©AFP
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has dispatched forces to the Gaza Strip’s frontier with Egypt in a confidence-building measure aimed at boosting security in the border area, officials say.
According to Press TV, Hamas General Hussain Abu Aadrah said on Thursday that four battalions were deployed along the 13-kilometer border “at Egypt’s request.”
The military official added that the measure was aimed at strengthening “positive neighborly relations.”
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri also said the deployment came as part of an agreement reached with Egyptian officials last month.
“This emphasizes the Palestinian stand to tighten security on the border and nothing that harms Egypt will come out of Gaza,” he added.
An Egyptian security official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, also said that the deployment was part of an agreement, under which Hamas stops building underground tunnels connecting the Israeli-besieged territory to Egypt, and Cairo, in return, reopens the Rafah border crossing.
Hamas-Egypt ties have been tense in recent years as Cairo accuses the Palestinian resistance group of backing the militants in Sinai Peninsula, an allegation strongly rejected by Hamas.
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