In recent days, Egypt has been shaken by a case that was first reported by the British tabloid Daily Mail. The five-star Renaissance Cairo Mirage City hotel in Cairo housed more than 150 former Hamas members who were released from Israeli prisons as part of a peace plan brokered by US President Donald Trump, according to an investigation. But these were not ordinary members of the movement, but high-ranking commanders and men convicted of the most serious crimes – including bombings, kidnappings and murders.
Israel considered their release a necessary but personally painful part of the deal, which was supposed to lead to the release of the last Israeli hostages and a temporary ceasefire in Gaza. However, according to Israeli authorities, most of these former members of Hamas were forbidden to return to the territory of Palestine. Therefore, they were temporarily transferred to Egypt, where they were supposed to be under the supervision of the security services.
At the time, the presence of such a number of convicted militants in a luxury hotel frequented by Western tourists sparked both concern and controversy. Some experts have warned that such transfers could create the risk of reviving extremist networks outside the conflict zone. Neither the Egyptian authorities nor the hotel chain have officially commented on the case.
Dangerous militants in a luxury hotel
These 154 people were designated as too dangerous to return to Gaza or the West Bank. Egypt therefore accepted them in a temporary asylum, where they were supposed to be under the supervision of the security services. However, according to the Daily Mail, they stayed for a while in a luxury hotel where tourists usually vacationed, and at that time it was still possible to book a room there.
Among them was, for example, Mahmoud Issa, the founder of Hamas’s elite unit focused on kidnappings, Izz ad-Din al-Hamamra, who recruited suicide bombers, or Samir Abu Nima, who spent almost 40 years in prison for the attack on a bus in Jerusalem. According to the report, some of them also took part in public celebrations in the hotel premises, where they were welcomed by supporters and families.
Concerns about the renewal of extremist networks
At that time, the presence of such persons in a luxury resort, less than an hour from the Egyptian capital, provoked sharp reactions from experts and the public. Security analysts have warned that the movement of militants abroad could lead to the re-establishment of extremist networks outside the Palestinian territories. Some have pointed out that this is creating a “terrorist army in exile”.
According to the Daily Mail, some of those released later applied for Egyptian visas and residence permits. It is not known who financed their stay at the hotel, where rooms started at around £200 a night. The Egyptian authorities and the Marriott hotel chain did not officially comment on the case even after the case was publicized.
