Egyptian media is reporting that a Hamas delegation has met with both the Egyptian foreign minister as well as with the Supreme Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. According to a report in Al-Masry Al Youm:
A Hamas delegation led by the movement’s political bureau chief, Khaled Meshaal, held talks late on Wednesday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr. During the meeting, which was held at the Foreign Ministry, the two tackled bilateral relations and Palestinian developments, particularly reconciliation between various factions. A reliable Hamas source said the delegation, which includes Moussa Abu Marzouq, Samy Khater, Mohamed Nasr and Nezar Awadallah, visited the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters and met with Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie. Meshaal also met with Egyptian intelligence officials Wednesday to discuss reconciliation between Hamas and the secular Fatah party, led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and to discuss a potential prisoner swap.”
It should be noted that according to a Hudson Institute report, Moussa Abu Marzouq was formerly was the Head of the Palestine Committee of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood and described as follow:
Mousa Abu Marzook, likely a member of the U.S. Brotherhood Shura Council in 1988, was a long-time high-ranking leader of Hamas and is currently described by the U.S Government as “the Deputy Chief of Hamas’s Political Bureau based in Damascus, Syria. His activities include directing and coordinating terrorist acts by Hamas against soldiers and civilians in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza.
The Hamas charter states that it is ” is one of the wings of the Muslim Brothers in Palestine” and an early media report indicated that shortly after Hamas took over the Gaza strip, Muslim Brotherhood representatives were present to review Hamas military formations. In 2007, a Hamas journalist acknowledged the role that the “international Muslim Brotherhood” has played in providing funds for the purchase of weapons and in 2008, an Israeli TV station reported that Muslim Brotherhood “representatives” had traveled to Gaza from Egypt through the open border to meet with Hamas. Hamas is supported financially and politically by the global Muslim Brotherhood and a NEFA Foundation report has documented the Hamas fund-raising activities of the Union of Good, a coalition of Islamic charities linked to the Brotherhood that provides financial support to both the Hamas “social” infrastructure, as well as its terrorist activities. Previous posts have also discussed the worldwide campaign orchestrated by the global Brotherhood against Israeli actions in Gaza during the 2008-2009 conflict with Israel.