The Cairo Court of Urgent Matters ruled Saturday to designate the Gaza-based Izzedine Al Qassam Brigades a terrorist organization, Al Masry Al youm reported. The lawsuit against the armed wing of Hamas claimed that Al Qassam Brigades was involved in terrorist operations inside Egyptian territory, against security forces in Sinai, using tunnels between Rafah and the Gaza Strip to smuggle weapons into Egypt in order to destabilize the State. The lawsuit also accuses the Brigades of participating in the deadly attack against the Egyptian Armed Forces at Karm Al Qawadis on October 24, in which at least 30 soldiers were killed. The ISIS- affiliated Ansar Bayt Al Maqdis claimed responsibility for the operation. Hamas has repeatedly denounced the accusations directed against it by the Egyptian media, and has expressed deep sorrow and concern over conditions in the Sinai Peninsula. On March 4, 2014, the Cairo Court of Urgent Matters ruled to ban all Hamas' activities in Egypt and freeze all its assets and funds temporarily, until the Cairo Criminal Court issues a verdict regarding the accusations of Hamas's involvement in storming the prisons during the 2011 Revolution. Hamas has denied these accusations on several occasions. This January, the Cairo Court of Urgent Matters dismissed the case designating Hamas as a terrorist organization, declaring it to be out of its jurisdiction. Relations between Egypt and Hamas have deteriorated since the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi, and the removal of the Muslim Brotherhood regime, which is linked to the Gaza-based organization, Hamas.
