Egyptian border guards at the Rafah border crossing refused on Thursday to allow Hamas delegates to return from Egypt into the Gaza strip without searching their briefcases. The delegates were returning from another round of failed negotiations in Cairo (see Hamas to respond to truce proposal by Saturday).
At first the Hamas officials refused, but when Egyptian officials made it clear from the highest authority that they would be held at the border until they agreed, permission was given to search the bags.
When the Egyptian officials finally looked inside the briefcases they were astonished to see that they were full of Dollars and Euros banknotes – at least 2 million Euros and 9 million dollars in cash were arranged in neat bundles inside the briefcases. One Egyptian felt it was "like a scene from a Hollywood movie"
Egyptian officials eventually allowed five of the six Hamas delegates to proceed into Gaza, but detained the sixth, Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha, who was carrying the cash. AFP later reported that the Egyptian officials eventually went with Taha to a bank in El-Arish where they forced him to deposit the money. It is not known yet if Egypt intends to confiscate the money.
Hamas sources expressed outrage Thursday evening at the behavior of the Egyptian authorities and their interference in internal Palestinian affairs. They explained that because the US and European countries have listed Hamas as a terrorist organization, it is impossible for the ruling Palestinian political party to transfer money through international banks, and that it must therefore resort to such methods of carrying cash in briefcases. They said this does not mean that the money is illegal.
Hamas sources also said that the Egyptian search was obviously the result of special information received from Israeli intelligence, and accused the Egyptian state of collaboration with the Mossad.
