Hamas is an offshoot of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood which the
authorities have also declared a terrorist group and have
repressed systematically since the army ousted one of its
leaders, Mohamed Mursi, from the presidency in 2013.
"The court ruled that Hamas should be included as a terrorist
organization," Samir Sabry, one of the lawyers who brought the
case against Hamas, told Reuters.
While the January decision against Hamas targeted only the armed
wing, Saturday's broader ruling could have greater consequences
for the already strained relations between Cairo and Hamas,
which rules the Gaza Strip along Egypt's border.
A source close to Hamas' armed wing signaled the group would no
longer accept Egypt as a broker between it and Israel after the
January decision against Hamas' Qassam Brigades armed wing.
Cairo has for many years played a central role in engineering
ceasefires between Israel and Hamas, which dominates the Gaza
Strip, including a truce reached between the sides in August
that ended a 50-day Gaza war.
(Reporting By Ahmed Tolba and Mahmoud Mourad; Writing By Shadi
Bushra; Editing by Pravin Char and Stephen Powell)
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