Hamas' military wing denied involvement Thursday in the deadly attack on a Rafah checkpoint in August 2012, which killed 16 Egyptian soldiers.
During a press conference in Gaza aired by Al Jazeera, a masked spokesperson for the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades accused Egyptian media of spreading lies about Hamas after a local magazine accused the Gazan ruling party of masterminding the assault.
MBC Masr satellite channel reported Wednesday that Al-Ahram Al-Arabi, a weekly magazine owned by Al-Ahram Newspaper and Publishing House, had learned the identities of the Rafah attack perpetrators from a source inside Hamas and was set to publish their names on Saturday.
Media claim the assault was in response to an Armed Forces campaign to destroy smuggling tunnels.
The spokesperson said the magazine had falsified evidence to sell more issues and that Hamas planned to file a lawsuit for defamation.
He added that Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation actually served to protect Egyptian national security, adding that relations between Hamas and Egypt are at an all-time high since the 2011 revolution.
Meanwhile, security officials at Cairo International Airport detained seven Palestinians on route from Syria Wednesday after finding they had maps depicting vital state installations.
In late February, security sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the Interior Ministry was tracking 500 Palestinian citizens who allegedly belonged to Hamas. Most had entered the country illegally between 14 and 24 February, according to authorities.
The sources said police found weapons after raiding the apartments where some of the Palestinians resided.
Hamas, widely considered a close affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood, has denied accusations it seeks to destabilize Egypt.
A political adviser to Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh demanded lawsuits be brought against Egyptian media outlets for reporting lies.
