Palestinian Hamas denies Tunisian media accusations of covert activities to destabilize Algeria

The Palestinian Islamic Movement Hamas has flatly denied accusations by Tunisian mass media that it aimed to destabilizing Algeria by digging tunnels and smuggling weapons along the common border from the Tunisian side.

Senior Hamas leader Izzat Al-Reshiq expressed his utter surprise over the accusations leveled by some media outlets in Tunisia, saying they were “spreading damaging falsifications against Hamas and its long-standing resistance.”

Speaking to a London-based Arab newspaper, Al-Reshiq said: “Spreading such news builds an image that Hamas is an intercontinental movement with a fleet spread all over the planet.”

However, he said: “It is a Palestinian movement that mainly exists in Palestine and its sole enemy is the Israeli occupation, which occupies Palestinian land.”

A Tunisian newspaper earlier claimed that foreign and national intelligence sources had affirmed Hamas’ involvement in digging tunnels in 2010 to smuggle weapons and people at the volatile Al-Chaâmbi border mountainous area between Tunisia and Algeria.

According to the newspaper, sources said Hamas was directed by certain Gulf states and its activities come as part of covert plans by great Western powers aiming to destabilize Algeria.

The daily said the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had spoken about this issue during his visit to Tunis a couple of days ago.

The Hamas leader said such accusations were “not strange” amid the sea of similar accusations by different Arabic media outlets, mainly in Egypt. He noted that some Egyptian accusations point to the involvement of dead or imprisoned Hamas members in destabilizing Egypt.

He continued to say: “It would not be strange to hear that Hamas has played a role in Kiev and Crimea, or in Mali and Central Africa.” He called on the media to stick to objective and ethical coverage and its duty to broadcast the plain truth.

Al-Reshiq reaffirmed his movement’s stance that it firmly refuses any interference in any country’s internal affairs. He said that his movement’s sole target is the Israeli occupation on the occupied Palestinian lands.