Egypt rejects Hamas claim it will ban officials from Hajj travel

Oct 16, 2010, 15:20 GMT

Al-Arish, Egypt - Egypt rejected claims Saturday that there is a list of banned Hamas officials from the Gaza Strip who would be unable to use the Rafah border crossing as part of their Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, a religious duty for Muslims.

An Egyptian security source in the northern Sinai Peninsula, which borders Gaza, said that Cairo has not yet received any requests to use the Rafah crossing by would-be Hajj pilgrims residing in the blockaded enclave. Hajj is expected to fall in mid-November.

However, the security source said that Egypt maintains the right to ban people from using the border crossing for 'security reasons,' stopping short of giving any more details.

The statement comes after Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said Friday that he and two other Hamas officials were on a list of people to be banned from travelling through the Rafah crossing, which links Egypt to the Gaza Strip.

Palestinians residing in Gaza rely on the border crossing for entry and exit into the enclave, due to a much tighter blockade on crossings shared with Israel.

The Egyptian government has imposed a partial blockade on Gaza since 2006 and shares a tense relationship with Hamas, which controls the enclave and is an offshoot of a banned Egyptian opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood.

Last month, a top Hamas intelligence officer was detained on arrival in Egypt and held for nearly two weeks for allegedly being involved in incidents that could harm the country's national security, Egyptian officials said.

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