By Xinhua,
Gaza : The Islamic Hamas movement on Saturday denied reports about tension between exiled leaders of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.
“The ties between the two movements are unique and on highest levels,” said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoom, adding that “the reports that there are troubles between Hamas and the Islamic Jihad are untrue.”
According to the reports, tension arose after Hamas piled pressure on Qatar to exclude the small faction of Islamic Jihad from attending a conference about Jerusalem held four days ago in Doha.
The reports said that Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal was behind the curtain not to invite the Damascus-based Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ramadan Shalah to the conference in Doha.
It said that the Islamic Jihad was not invited to the conference because it opposes a ceasefire Egypt brokered in the Gaza Strip between Hamas and Israel.
The Islamic Jihad has yet refused to comment on the issue.
“Our position is not to confirm or deny these reports,” said Nafez Azzam, an Islamic Jihad leader based in the Gaza Strip.