An Israeli general has accused Hamas of aiding the Sinai affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Ha’aretz reported today. Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai made his remarks in an interview with the Arabic satellite channel Al Jazeera.

Israel has “clear information that Hamas is supporting the Wilayat Sinai, which belongs to Daesh,” Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, the coordinator of government activities in the territories, claimed, referring to the Islamic State group in one of its acronyms.

He added that Hamas provided the Islamist group weapons and logistical support, and even smuggled wounded militants for treatment in the Gaza Strip. “I am confident in this [information] and I have proof,” he said.

Egypt has long blamed Hamas for arming terrorists and the Muslim Brotherhood. Last October, it moved to create a buffer zone between the Sinai and Gaza, destroying hundreds to homes in order to uncover and neutralize arms-smuggling tunnels between the two territories. An Egyptian court ruled earlier this year that Hamas was a terrorist organization.

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