Egyptian security forces are preparing for anti-Hamas demonstrations. Popular suspicion that the Iran-backed Palestinian terror group may try to bolster the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood against large-scale anti-government protests planned for June 30 has been deepening. Arab-language media is reporting that police authorities are preparing for the backlash.

Theories under which Hamas provided critical assistance to the Brotherhood during the 2011 Egyptian Arab Spring have become prevalent in Egyptian media outlets. Egyptian security officials engaged in a media war with Hamas have been responsible for some of the leaks, which began as rumors and were soon bolstered by leaked transcripts dating back to 2011.

The Egyptian army late last week again moved to deter smuggling between the Egypt-controlled Sinai Peninsula and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip:

Egyptian forces deployed Tuesday along the Rafa crossing between Egypt and Gaza remained on Wednesday in a bid to crack down on smuggling through underground passageways, Palestinian news agency Ma’an cited a secuirty source as saying.

[Photo: RamyRaoof / Flickr]