Aid Between IS and Hamas Threatens Israeli and Egyptian Governments

There are reports that the terrorist organization Hamas has been working along side Islamic State in the Sinai (ISS) to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip, according to a report issued by the Washington Institute on Near East Policy.

Hamas has reportedly sent tens of thousands of dollars to ISS, in exchange for materials to develop missiles.

ISS is able to smuggle the materials through tunnels that connect Egypt with Gaza. Egyptian authorities have been trying to close the tunnels for some time, but have been unable to hinder any considerable smuggling.

Hamas is a Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Founded in 1987, the organization’s primary goal is to bring about the destruction of Israel. To better increase its ability to combat the Israelis, Hamas established itself as one of the major political parties in the Palestinian territories, and since 2007 it has been dominated politics in the region.

ISS, also known as Wilayat Sinai (Sinai Province), pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) just over a year ago, and most recently claimed responsibility for the Russian plane bombing this past November.

Before joining Islamic State, the group went by the name Ansar Bait al-Maqdis (ABM). ABM was established after the 2011 Egyptian revolution, and soon became a major problem for government forces. The organization’s goal early on was to wage war of the Israelis. Their efforts were soon directed at President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his government forces after they ousted Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi. ABM soon became one of the El-Sisi government’s primary enemies after an attempted assassination against the minister of the interior and several attacks against security forces.

Breitbart News mentions some would view the ISS and Hamas relationship with some skepticism. It can be difficult to understand how Hamas would support IS when a major source of their funding comes from Iran since IS and Iran have engaged one another in Syria. However, both Hamas and ISS are willing to look past that relationship if it benefits their own goals.

Aside from sending thousands of dollars to ISS, Hamas has also reportedly aided terror attacks carried out by ISS in Egypt. In October of 2014, Egyptian intelligence reported the suicide bombing that killed 33 Egyptian civilians may have been carried out jointly by ISS and Hamas.

The suicide bombing was not the only time Hamas had aided acts of terror against Egypt. In August of 2012, Hamas was reportedly involved in a shooting that killed 16 government soldiers inside their base in Rafah. The following December, ABM launched an attack in Mansura which killed another 16 people. Egyptian ministry officials claimed Hamas had aided ABM by providing logistical support, although Hamas was quick to deny these claims by stating they were apart of President El-Sisi’s warfare against the Muslim Brotherhood.

While Hamas is willing to tolerate IS’s allegiances and actions outside of Gaza, it does not approve of any IS attempts to gain a hold within the strip. In May and June of 2015 Hamas launched a massive crackdown of IS supporters after the organization began to push into the region. The crackdown killed one IS supporter even after Hamas issued a 48-hour ultimatum for IS to leave the region. As previously mentioned, Hamas has complete control over the area, and it needs support in order to wage war against the IDF.

The relationship between ISS and Hamas properly illustrates relationships between terrorist organizations. While both groups have a shared ideology and end goals, Hamas is unwilling to allow Islamic State to encroach upon its preeminent position as the primary Palestinian jihadist organization, or to threaten its control of territory in Gaza. But this does not preclude trade and cooperation, particularly as long as the two have a shared desire to see the Egyptian government destabilized.