Egypt Frees Key Hamas Terrorist

The Egyptian authorities have released a top Hamas operative wanted by the Palestinian Authority and Israel for his involvement in terror attacks over the past few years, PA officials told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.

The officials expressed outrage over the release of Nahro Massoud - one of the commanders of Hamas's armed wing, Izzadin Kassam - who fled to Egypt more than a year ago. At the request of the PA, Massoud and several other Hamas fugitives were arrested by the Egyptian security forces and held without trial.

Massoud's name had appeared on a Hamas list of prisoners whose release the group was demanding in exchange for kidnapped IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Schalit.

But it was not clear Sunday whether the Egyptian decision to release the Hamas fugitive was linked to secret talks on reaching a prisoner exchange deal with Israel. The Egyptians have been acting as mediators between Hamas and Israel in a bid to secure the release of Schalit, who was kidnapped by Hamas and other Palestinian groups in the summer of 2006.

"We are all Muslims. We make them our brothers, not our enemy."