Following a deadly terrorist attack on Friday in Sinai, Egypt prevented a senior Hamas delegation from entering the country to participate in indirect discussions between the Palestinians and Israel. Hamas official Khalil Haya confirmed to the Hamas daily Al-Resalah that the terrorist group was denied access into Egypt, the Times of Israel reports.

Earlier, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi claimed that foreign actors were involved in a suicide car bombing that killed over 30 soldiers in el-Arish. Deputy Interior Minister Samih Bashadi went even further and blamed "Palestinian operatives" for the attack.

Bashadi asserts that the Sinai can only be stabilized after the creation of a buffer zone between the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula.

These developments come in light of Hamas' attempts to reconcile with the Egyptian government. However, Egypt is convinced that Hamas continues to engage in the planning and execution of terrorist acts within its borders.