Egypt: ‘Senior Hamas official in detention in Cairo’, Security sources

A Security source at the Cairo international airport indicated Tuesday a senior Hamas official has been detained after issues were found about his travel document.

The source said Hassan Asseify, the deputy religious affairs minister in Hamas-ruled Gaza, was stopped on his way back from Saudi Arabia to Gaza. The source said Cairo airport security found “issues in the security approval for his entrance to the country,”

The source continued saying that the official would remain in detention until issues with his paperwork are resolved.

Another source at the airport also indicated that Hassan Asseify was arrested at dawn on Monday.

Hamas has not made any comment on the arrest yet.

Egypt has opened the Rafah crossing on Monday until Wednesday 20th August to allow Palestinians to travel in and out of Gaza.

The Rafah crossing point has been closed since 2013 after new Egyptian authorities accused Hamas of staging terrorist attacks against Egypt. Cairo also accused Hamas of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.

However, Egyptian authorities occasionally open the crossing for humanitarian aids and for students and sick Palestinians in need of medical treatment.

Relations between Egypt and Hamas have started thawing after a court in Cairo in June took Hamas off its black list of terrorist groups.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia are offering mediation to re-unite rival Palestinian groups, Hamas in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank.