Maj. Gen. Hammad denies rumours that Egypt is preparing a force to support Fatah in the clashes with Hamas
"Gaza – Ma'an – The head of the Egyptian delegation in the Palestinian territories, Major General Burhan Hammad, on Sunday expressed his astonishment at the rumours in the media and on the Palestinian streets that an Egyptian military force of 450 troops has entered from Egypt into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing.
Some people interpreted the report as Egypt offering back-up to Fatah in the clashes against Hamas.
Hammad told the Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat (Middle East) news agency that the force belongs to the Palestinian national security service, which is in charge of protecting the borders of the Gaza Strip. Hammad said "they were being trained in Egypt in order to perform their duty as Palestinian border police.".....
With regards to the force being sent back during the Hamas-Fatah confrontations, Hammad affirmed that it was by coincidence that the force was sent from Cairo through Al-Arish, 24 hours before the inter-Palestinian fighting started. "The force returned back to the Gaza Strip after their training course had ended," he said.
Major General Hammad renewed Egypt's impartiality with respect to the Palestinian factions and said "Egypt treats the Palestinian people as one entity and supports their unity." He added "Egyptian solidarity with the Palestinians is a reality which needs no confirmation." "
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