[News] Egypt-Hamas tensions at all-time high over demand to disarm and leave Gaza

[Anti-Imperialist News]

middleeasteye.net
<https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-hamas-tensions-all-time-high-over-demand-disarm-and-leave-gaza>
Egypt-Hamas tensions at all-time high over demand to disarm and leave Gaza
MEE correspondent
August 9, 2025
------------------------------

Egypt <https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/egypt>'s support for calls
to disarm Hamas has reignited tensions with the Palestinian
<https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine> movement and stalled
ceasefire negotiations, Egyptian and Palestinian sources told Middle East
Eye.

The rift emerged after Cairo relayed messages to Hamas leaders in Doha in
late April, demanding the group surrender its weapons and withdraw fighters
from Gaza - a position Hamas firmly rejects.

The push for disarmament reflects mounting pressure from the United States
and key Arab states.

On 29 July, Egypt joined Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and the Arab League in
endorsing the New York Declaration
<https://static-cdn.toi-media.com/www/uploads/2025/07/NV_High-Level-Conference-Outcome-document.pdf>
on a two-state solution, which calls on Hamas to relinquish control of Gaza
and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority.

According to Egyptian sources, Cairo had initially resisted linking
disarmament to ceasefire negotiations.

However, under sustained pressure from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi
Arabia, Egypt shifted its stance, aligning itself with regional efforts to
initiate what has been described as a "surrender process".

This position aligns with Israeli preconditions, backed by Washington, for
ending the war on Gaza.

Sources said Egypt had previously insisted that disarmament be part of a
broader political settlement tied to ending the Israeli occupation. Cairo
had rejected any proposals requiring Hamas to disarm prior to the
establishment of a Palestinian state.

'Egypt's alignment with the American agenda is detrimental to both Egypt
and Hamas'

*- Moataz Khalil, Former Egypt UN envoy *

This earlier stance was reiterated by Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty
during a visit to Washington in March, citing Israel's failure to defeat
Hamas militarily.

"It is unreasonable to ask mediators to achieve through politics what
Israel could not achieve through months of military operations,"
Abdelatty said during his trip to Washington.

Two diplomatic sources in Cairo said the policy shift was also driven by
the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the breakdown of diplomatic
channels.

Egyptian authorities are especially concerned by Israeli efforts to
forcibly displace Gaza's population into northern Sinai.

Reports of a large-scale tent camp being constructed in the Rafah area,
near the Egyptian border, to house more than half a million displaced
people, have drawn condemnation, with many describing it as a concentration
camp.

This, along with growing public anger in Egypt over what is perceived as
government complicity and an inadequate response to the crisis, has further
fuelled tensions.
Egypt’s credibility 'undermined'

Moataz Ahmadein Khalil, Egypt's former ambassador to the United Nations,
told Middle East Eye that Egypt's shift reflects Washington's view of
Cairo's role as "primarily a lever to pressure Hamas into accepting
American and Israeli demands".

He explained that this perception stems from Egypt's acute economic crisis
and its reliance on political backing from the US in securing support from
international and regional donors, as well as direct financial aid from
Washington.

"Egypt's alignment with the American agenda is detrimental to both Egypt
and Hamas," argued Khalil.

"Accommodating Washington's demands would only encourage Trump to ask for
more and would ultimately undermine Egypt's credibility as a mediator.

"Furthermore, this approach fails to leverage the mediation role to serve
Egypt's own national interests, independent of US or Israeli goals."
Palestinians 'let down'

The Egypt-Hamas tensions reached their peak in late July following a
televised speech by Khalil al-Hayya
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XPuZk8u7Yc>, a senior Hamas leader.

The Doha-based leader made a direct appeal to the Egyptian people and their
religious, military, community and intellectual leaders to help break the
siege on Gaza.

"Our Palestinian people feel let down," Hayya said.

"Will your brothers in Gaza die of hunger while they are just across your
border and within your reach?" he asked.

He criticised the air-dropping of aid, describing it as a "tragic farce",
and criticised the closure of the Egyptian-Palestinian Rafah border
crossing.


"We look to the great country of Egypt to say definitively that Gaza will
not die of hunger, and that it will not allow the enemy to keep the Rafah
crossing closed to the needs of Gaza."

According to one Egyptian security source, Cairo responded to Hayya's
speech with deep anger, viewing it as incitement against the government and
an attempt to hold Egypt responsible for Gaza's starvation.

Officials feared the speech could provoke popular unrest and threaten
national stability. They also interpreted the call to forcibly open the
Rafah crossing as a dangerous appeal to involve Cairo in the war against
Israel and as a threat to Egypt's national security.

Following the speech by Hayya, regarded by Egyptian officials as one of the
Hamas leaders closest to Cairo, the Egyptian regime launched a fierce media
campaign against Hamas.

Numerous pro-government journalists and online platforms criticised the
group. Diaa Rashwan <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IeYfgT67sE>, head of
Egypt's State Information Service, described Hayya's remarks as "extremely
dangerous". MP Mostafa Bakry <https://www.elaosboa.com/2349425/>, known for
his ties to Egypt's intelligence services, called on Hamas's leadership to
issue a statement absolving Egypt of any role in the blockade and thanking
it for the aid provided.

A source from within the Palestinian movement told MEE: "Hayya's appeal was
made in the spirit of goodwill, brotherhood and the deep sense of hope the
people of Gaza hold towards the Egyptians, and not as incitement."

The source added that, amid the severe deterioration of humanitarian
conditions in the Gaza Strip and the complete political deadlock in
negotiations, "the only door left to knock on is that of our brothers in
Egypt".

MEE contacted the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment but
did not receive a response by publication.
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