Hamas terrorist ruling cancelled by Egyptian court

Egypt's appeals court has cancelled an earlier court ruling designating Hamas a terrorist organisation.

The appeals court said the previous ruling was a mistake.

The decision implies Egypt is easing pressure on the ruling faction in the Gaza strip.

"The decision today represents a commitment by Cairo to its strong role towards the Palestinian cause,” Hamas spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Reuters.

The Egyptian regime accused Hamas of smuggling weapons across the border from Gaza to support insurgents in the Sinai.

A lower court ruled Hamas was a terrorist organisation in February. It accused it of supporting the insurgency in the Sinai, after the overthrow of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

Violence in the Sinai has been seen between Egyptian armed forces and Islamic militants, including Ansar Bait al-Maqdis. The insurgency has killed over 1,500 people, including soldiers, police, civilians and militants.

The Egyptian regime accused Hamas of smuggling weapons across the border from Gaza to support insurgents in the Sinai.

Countries including Israel, the US, the UK, and Canada, as well as the EU have all designated Hamas a terrorist organisation.

Cairo has played a key role in peace talks between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, including the ceasefire that ended the Gaza war in summer 2014.

Founded in 1988, the group is an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. It won Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006, and became the ruling power in Gaza in 2007.