Palestinians protest after Egyptian court rule Hamas a ‘terrorist organization’

World Today

In Gaza, fears have grown into isolation and more hardships, after Egypt declared Hamas a ‘terrorist organization’.
CCTV’s Adel El Mahrouky reported this story from Cairo.

Tuesday February 24, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi announced a new decree law that set the criteria needed to designate a terrorist organization in Egypt.

Then on Saturday, Egypt’s Urgent Matters court declared Hamas a terrorist organization.

The court’s ruling was effective immediately, until a specialized court investigates the case.

Palestinians protested against the judgment in Gaza.

“It is a shocking and dangerous decision that targets the Palestinian people and the Palestinian resistance that is defending the dignity of Palestine and the Arab nation. It is also goes against the rules as it relates to the Israeli enemy as a friend and to Hamas, the Palestinian people and the Palestinian resistance as enemy,” Hamas Spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said. “This decision will never harm Hamas and its victories or the stand of its leaders but it will directly contaminate the reputation of Egypt.”

Egyptians had mixed feelings.

Hamas is one of the remaining groups that has resisted Israel’s occupation of Palestine, but lately Egyptian officials said Hamas could be involved in some of the deadliest militant attacks in the Sinai.

“Hamas was originally a jihadist group against the occupation, but later they changed their activities and became terrorists, they started violating our national laws and started hurting people,” Hayam Abdallah, Cairo resident said.

Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim brotherhood, which has also been declared a terrorist organization in Egypt.

Saturday a criminal court sentenced four Brotherhood members to death and 16 senior leaders to life in prison.

“We don’t like the bloodshed that they’ve caused. Hamas and the Muslim brotherhood, and ISIS,” Cairo resident Samir Saad said. “They are all one organization, they have the same sources of funding, they killed many people, even kids, so I like the verdict, in fact they should have all been sentenced to death.”

This is the fourth life sentence for Mohamed Badie, the supreme leader of the Muslim brotherhood. He also received the death penalty at least twice in other cases.