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Source: http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Uneasy-neighbors-481095
Egypt, Hamas, and Islamic State in Sinai
(Jerusalem Post) Zvi Mazel - Egypt has so far been unable to defeat Ansar Bait al-Maqdis - the Sinai Province of Islamic State - in spite of the large number of troops and superior armament sent to Sinai. Egypt is demanding that Hamas end its cooperation with Ansar Bait al-Maqdis. Hamas offers sanctuary in Gaza to its wounded fighters and enables it to experiment in Gaza with new weapons and explosives. Some 700 Ansar Bait al-Maqdis fighters are allegedly inside Gaza and Hamas will not hand them over to Egypt. Hamas is first and foremost an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, the movement that was forcibly ejected from power in Egypt by a popular uprising backed by the army, led by now-President Sisi. The writer is a former ambassador to Romania, Egypt and Sweden.