Egypt uncovers Israeli plots to assassinate Hamas leaders on its soil: Report

Egypt has uncovered Israeli plots to assassinate Hamas leaders on its soil, warning Tel Aviv that any such attack would be treated as a “declaration of war” and met with force.

In a report on Friday, the Middle East Eye (MEE) cited a high-level security source as warning that any Israeli strike on Hamas leaders in Egypt would constitute a violation of the country’s sovereignty and Cairo would “not hesitate” to respond.

“Intelligence reports suggest that Israel has been plotting to assassinate Hamas leaders in Cairo for some time, as Egypt had already foiled an earlier attempt during ceasefire negotiations in the city over the past two years,” the security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told MEE.

“Any attempt on the lives of Hamas leaders on Egyptian soil would be considered by Egypt as a violation of its sovereignty and, accordingly, a declaration of war by Israel, which we would not hesitate to retaliate against.”

The source said that although it has not been officially confirmed that Hamas’s leading figures have lived in Egypt, several of them have resided in the country for years, even before the current Gaza war, with their identities, numbers, and exact locations remaining undisclosed for security reasons.

According to the source, Egyptian officials have urged their Israeli counterparts to return to negotiations and work towards reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, rather than dragging the region into endless wars and escalating tensions.

“Egyptian-Israeli relations have already been tense in recent months due to the indecisiveness of Tel Aviv towards a possible Gaza truce,” the source added.

The news portal also cited an anonymous security analyst as saying, “Egypt’s ability to act as a credible mediator in Gaza would collapse if Israel were allowed to carry out assassinations in Cairo unchecked.”

The Israeli regime launched around 12 air strikes against residential buildings in the Qatari capital of Doha on Tuesday, targeting Hamas’s Political Bureau and its leadership as well as a number of Qatari civilians.

The aggression sparked widespread condemnations across the region while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Tel Aviv would target Hamas in other countries.

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Qatar

As one of the lead mediators between Hamas and Israel, Doha had been trying to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, where the occupying regime has killed more than 64,600 people since October 2023, when it launched a genocidal war on the Palestinian territory.

Hamas confirmed that its senior negotiators survived the attack, but five members of the group were killed, including Jihad Labad, director of the office of senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya, Hammam al-Hayya, son of Khalil al-Hayya, Abdullah Abdul Wahid, Moumen Hassouna, and Ahmed al-Mamlouk — all described as companions of the delegation.

Qatari security officer Badr Saad Muhammad Al-Humaidi was also among those killed in the Israeli attacks.

Cairo has historically played a central role in mediating between Israel and Palestinian factions, especially Hamas, but in recent months, it has been increasingly sidelined from Gaza ceasefire talks, which collapsed after several rounds and failed to put an end to the genocidal war in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Wary of the potential displacement of Palestinians into North Sinai, Egypt has deployed around 40,000 troops along the Egyptian border with Gaza to hinder the possible passage of Palestinians into its territory.

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