A Muslim Brotherhood member said Wednesday that the group is planning to send a delegation to Gaza in the near future to appease Hamas leaders.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the Brotherhood source said the move comes after Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal visited the Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badei in Cairo on Saturday.
During the meeting, Meshaal said Gazans need greater support due to deteriorating conditions under Israeli occupation.
The trip is also meant to mollify Hamas following accusations it was involved in an attack on a Rafah border outpost that killed 16 Egyptian soldiers last August.
Saber Abouel Fotouh, a member of the Freedom and Justice Party’s supreme body, said the group regularly sends delegations to Gaza, adding that the trip is politically motivated.
A Brotherhood statement said Meshaal expressed his government’s support of Egypt’s national security and interests.
A report by Al-Ahram Al-Araby, a weekly magazine published by state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper, accused Hamas of masterminding the Rafah attack.
The close relations between the Brotherhood and Hamas have sparked criticism from opposition groups of late.
Free Egyptians Party chief Ahmed Saeed called on President Mohamed Morsy to reveal just how close those ties are in a statement Wednesday.
Saeed said, “The public wants to know what happens during visits by Khaled Meshaal, Moussa Abu Marzouq and other Hamas leaders and the details of their secret meetings with Supreme Guide Mohamed Badei and his deputy Khairat al-Shater.”
The Brotherhood delegation is set to comprise several religious figures, businessmen and party leaders as well as aid.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
