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Hizbullah Lauds Egypt's Appeal against Labeling Hamas as Terrorist, Calls for Dialogue

Hizbullah hailed on Thursday the Egyptian government's appeal against a ruling that considered the Palestinian group Hamas as a terrorist organization.

The party's media office deemed the step as “positive,” calling for dialogue between it and Hamas to “improve their ties.”

On February 28, an Egyptian court declared Hamas a "terrorist" organization weeks after the Palestinian Islamist movement's armed wing was given the same designation.

Since Egypt's military ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, the authorities have accused Hamas of aiding jihadists who have waged a string of deadly attacks on security forces in the Sinai Peninsula.

In 2013, Egypt said that Hizbullah and Hamas helped prisoners, including Morsi, escape during the 2011 uprising, asking Interpol to circulate an arrest warrant for Sami Shehab, a Hizbullah official who had been convicted of plotting attacks in Egypt.

He was serving a prison sentence at Wadi Natrun before escaping, along with members of Hamas.

Hizbullah has denied the claims.

M.T.

Y.R.


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