TEL AVIV — One of the five Islamic State militants allegedly killed in a drone strike in Sinai on Sunday was a former top Hamas operative who defected to join jihadist ranks in Egypt, according to Gaza jihadist sources speaking to Breitbart Jerusalem.
Hamas forces have arrested 22 members of its military wing while en route to join Welayat Sinai, the Islamic State affiliate in the Egyptian peninsula, a top official in Gaza told Breitbart Jerusalem.
The Islamic State’s fresh offensive against the Egyptian Army in Sinai has delayed Hamas’ former Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh’s return to Gaza, Hamas officials told Breitbart Jerusalem.
Some members of the Hamas leadership have had second thoughts about their movement’s ongoing campaign against Islamic State sympathizers in Gaza, saying a more lenient approach would enable Hamas to tap into the jihadists’ arms and supply depositories in Sinai, according to Hamas sources.
Hamas’ deterrence power in the Gaza Strip has been significantly undermined by radical Islamists, according to an Egyptian intelligence estimate obtained by Breitbart Jerusalem.
