The Brotherhood Published Its Congratulations to Hamas on Its Own Party Masthead

On or about 26 July, Bawabat al-Hurriya wal-Adala — the media platform of the Egyptian Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, a party outlet rather than a news organisation — carried the headline «الإخوان» تهنئ «حماس» بمناسبة انتخاب خليل الحية رئيسًا جديدًا للحركة: the Brotherhood congratulates Hamas on the election of Khalil al-Hayya as the movement’s new leader. The Files could not retrieve the body of the statement, the name of the official who signed it, or the date of the election it refers to. No source outside the Brotherhood’s own publishing network in this sweep confirms that al-Hayya has been elected head of Hamas; that remains a claim carried on the group’s platform, not a confirmed event. The search index dates the page at roughly one week old, which places it at the edge of the reporting window rather than inside it.

The legal frame is not incidental. Treasury press release SB0357, dated 13 January 2026, designated the Egyptian and Jordanian branches as Specially Designated Global Terrorists under Executive Order 13224 “for their material support to Hamas,” and stated that chapters of the Brotherhood “purport to be legitimate civic organizations while, behind the scenes, they explicitly and enthusiastically support terrorist groups like Hamas.” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent was quoted in the same release: “The Treasury Department is taking action pursuant to President Trump’s leadership by designating Muslim Brotherhood Branches as Terrorist Organizations.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio, announcing the same tranche, called it “a first step.” Only the Lebanese chapter and its leader Muhammad Fawzi Taqqosh drew the Foreign Terrorist Organization label; Egypt and Jordan drew the financial instrument alone. AP carried the action the same day.

Assessment: The load-bearing phrase in Treasury’s theory is “behind the scenes.” A congratulatory note published on a party masthead is not behind the scenes, and designation advocates will not need a classified annex to enter it into a record. Two readings compete: an organisation that treats the designation cost as already sunk, or one whose publishing does not pass through a legal filter. What to distrust: a headline on a partisan platform evidences a publication, not an election. Until Hamas’s own channels and a wire confirm al-Hayya, the leadership claim stays unresolved — and any divergence in wording between the Egyptian party site and ikhwanonline would tell you who authorised what.