GAZA CITY
The head of the National Security Agency in the Hamas-led Gaza government denied any participation by the military wing of Hamas in securing borders with Egypt, ruling out any potential Egyptian strike against the coastal enclave.
"There are no indications on the ground, in terms of military preparations, or even statements about the Egyptian army's intention to attack the Gaza Strip," Gen. Gamal al-Jarrah told Anadolu Agency in an interview.
"Egypt's security is an inseparable part of the security of Gaza," he insisted.
The official spokesman of the Egyptian army, Colonel Ahmed Ali, said Sunday that "Hamas needed to do more" to secure the joint borders with Egypt.
He told a press briefing that some of the bomb shells found in the possession of terrorists in Sinai had the tag of the Hamas military wing, the Ezz al-Din al-Qassam Brigade – a claim that was immediately dismissed by Hamas.
Al-Jarrah asserted that al-Qassam Brigade does not take part in securing the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
"The National Security Agency troops are the only force that operates on the border with Egypt," he said.
"Resistance groups only point their weapons at Israeli occupation forces," al-Jarrah added.
Some Arab and Egyptian media outlets repeatedly talk about an involvement by Hamas in the Sinai turmoil.
Some Egyptian writers and TV hosts have openly called for military action against Gaza.
Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh insisted on Friday that Hamas weapons are only directed at the Israeli occupation forces, ruling out an intervention in Egypt's domestic affairs.
Reinforcements
Al-Jarrah said his troops are deployed in close proximity to each other along the border with Egypt, except for an area east of the Rafah Crossing, close to where Israeli troops are stationed.
He pointed out that the said area is secured through direct coordination between Egypt and Israel.
"But this does not mean that we do not monitor the security situation at the area," al-Jarah added.
He said his agency has increased the number of its troops on the border with Egypt because of the current security turmoil in Sinai.
He added that his troops work tooth and nail to protect the border between Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula.
The security chief insists they had not detected any infiltration of the border with Egypt, dismissing reports that some militant groups had crossed into Sinai.
"No group has crossed the border into Sinai or vice versa," al-Garah said.
"We will not allow law-breakers to enter Gaza. The Palestinian government will not protect the backs of any terrorists."
According to the Oslo Accords signed between the Palestinians and Israel in September 1993, the National Security Agency apparatus would be the nucleus of the Palestinian army when an independent Palestinian state is created.
When Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in June 2007, the agency leaders, who were all affiliated to rival Fatah, left the costal enclave.
Hamas had to rebuild the agency, a military - rather than a police - force responsible for guarding Gaza's borders.
Gaza Sufferings
The Gaza security chief regretted that the Egyptian army's destruction of underground tunnels has further complicated living conditions inside the coastal enclave.
"We are deeply sorry for what happens in Egypt," al-Jarrah said.
"We were hoping that the Egyptian army would not make us part of Egypt's internal problems. We absolutely cannot intervene in Egypt's internal affairs."
The Egyptian army's crackdown on the tunnels has squeezed the beleaguered Gaza Strip, which relies heavily on goods smuggled from Egypt.
According to a recent UN report, 80 percent of all tunnel transport activity has been brought to a halt as a result of the Egyptian army's recent demolition activities.
