(JTA) — An Egyptian court outlawed Hamas activities in Egypt, branding it a terror organization.
The ruling, which came Tuesday as part of the Egyptian government’s crackdown on Islamist organizations in the country, bans all Hamas dealings with the government and shuts down the group’s Egyptian offices.
Hamas, the terrorist group that governs Gaza, is a daughter organization of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist organization that ruled Egypt until the military-backed ouster of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi last year. Since the ouster, the government has curtailed Islamist activities in Egypt.
Egypt has also destroyed many of the tunnels under its border with Gaza, which are used to smuggle goods and weaponry around the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
Hamas, which enjoyed good relations with Egypt under Morsi, condemned the move as a betrayal of Palestinian resistance. According to the Times of Israel, a Hamas press release stated that “what is expected of our nation is to support the Palestinian resistance, not try it.”
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