CAIRO: The Abdeen Court for Urgent Matters on Saturday annulled an earlier court ruling that listed the Palestinian group Hamas as a “terrorist organization,” Youm7 reported.
On February 28, the Cairo Court for Urgent Matters ruled in favor of deeming Hamas a terrorist organization over its “role in attacks on Egyptian soil,” as alleged by lawyer Samir Sabry.
The decision followed a series of coordinated terrorist attacks on several military institutions in Sinai in January, leaving at least 31 dead, including two civilians, according to health officials.
According to Youm7, Sabry accused the group of “executing terrorist attacks in Egypt and using tunnels between to smuggle arms, with the aim of terrorizing people and targeting military and police institutions.”
In March, the State Lawsuit Authority appealed the ruling, which had caused a further strain in relations between Egypt and the rulers of Gaza. Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri was quoted by Youm7 as saying “the move undoubtedly will lead to improve relations in favor of the people of the two countries.”
Later on, Sabry withdrew his lawsuit against Hamas “so that the verdict would not be an obstacle to Egypt’s reconciliation efforts between Palestinian factions and Israel,” according to Al-Ahram.
In April 2014, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis was also listed as a terrorist organization while in January; the same court declared the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Palestinian Hamas, a terrorist organization.
Hamas is an offshoot of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, which the authorities have also declared a terrorist organization last year.