Earlier this week, for the first time since Hamas overran the Gaza Strip in June, Egypt opened the Rafah border terminal to allow 1,700 Palestinians to travel to Mecca. Israeli authorities were infuriated by this move because it was a clear breach of an agreement made by Cairo with Israel in November 2005, and, more importantly, it facilitated the travel of terrorists in and out of Gaza.

The Jerusalem Post reported today that according to Israeli Defense Forces intelligence estimates, “Up to a couple of dozen Hamas terrorists were among the so-called pilgrims Egypt allowed out of the Gaza Strip.”

“This is a clear breach of agreements we have made with the Egyptians,” a senior diplomatic official said, in reference to agreements made between Israel and Egypt in November 2005.

And it isn’t the first time Egypt has broken its promise to Israel. “The official said the unilateral opening of the border had been preceded by another breach of agreements in October, when Egypt allowed 85 Hamas operatives to cross back into Gaza after cutting a hole in the border fence.”

Truth be told, Cairo’s propensity to overlook the travel of Hamas members in and out of Gaza via border crossings with Egypt is just the tip of the iceberg. The Jerusalem Post reports (emphasis ours):

In addition to allowing Palestinians to pass through the Rafah crossing, Israel is also upset with the Egyptians’ continued failure to curb the smuggling of weapons and explosives via tunnels into the Gaza Strip. According to recent assessments, since Hamas’s takeover, the terror group has smuggled into Gaza 100 tons of explosives, millions of bullets, hundreds of anti-tank missiles and even a small number of Katyusha rockets.

Israel has responded to the growing number of violations by Egypt by filing a harsh complaint with Cairo and scheduling talks with Egyptian authorities.

This trend is anything but insignificant. That Egypt is willing to facilitate the activities of Hamas and freely violate its agreements with Israel is indicative of a deeper antipathy toward the Jews. If Egypt, which is known as a moderate in the region, is already this empathetic to Islamic terrorists bent on destroying Israel, how much more of a menace could it be to Israel should a more radical element assume leadership in Cairo?

In order to realize the full significance of this trend, read “Why You Should Watch Egypt.”