Egyptian state television on Thursday accused Palestinian Hamas of training Egyptian Islamists in how to carry out bombings, piling yet more pressure on the Muslim Brotherhood, ally of Hamas. In neighboring Gaza, the ruling Hamas Islamists strongly denied the allegations.The allegations that Hamas has been training Egyptian militants could lead the military-backed authorities to escalate their crackdown on the Brotherhood.
"Security authorities have learned that the military wing of the Hamas movement trained several people to undertake car bombing operations and trained various others to make explosives," said a presenter on state television.
"The military wing of the Hamas movement provided various Salafi jihadists and also other religious currents with 400 landmines. The security apparatus documented this and they will be arrested."
Fawzi Barhoum, spokesman for the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, said of the report: "This is completely incorrect".
It was an "attempt to demonize Hamas," he added.
Hamas has recently tried to lower tension with Egypt, ordering Muslim preachers to mute their criticism of Cairo.At Gaza street rallies, Hamas fighters have flashed a four-finger salute - a show of support for Morsi.