[A] top military commander for Islamic Jihad in the Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza denied that the two groups work together closely or maintain cordial relations.

“This is politics only, Islamic Jihad and Hamas hate each other right now because Hamas is pursuing their true goal: An Islamic government,” Abu Musab said. “Because they are really the Muslim Brotherhood, it is more important to them to rule Gaza than liberate Palestine.”

Hamas’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, which advocates Islamic governance throughout the Arab and Muslim world as an antidote to the widespread corruption, are well established, and Mr Musab argues the group’s willingness to engage with Israel is strongly opposed by Islamic Jihad.

“Hamas says they are for resistance but they ran in the elections which were established by the Oslo agreement,” he said. “Hamas say they oppose Oslo, yet they benefited from the main result of Oslo. We warned them not to run in the elections or they would become politicians and not resistance, but they have a Brotherhood agenda that is bigger than defeating Israel.”

“I don’t understand why the Israelis don’t talk to Hamas,” he added. “Hamas will accept 1967 borders, they admit it and even today fight those like Islamic Jihad who insist on liberating all of Palestine. 1948 Israel will one day be liberated for Palestine.”

“If Hamas is so Islamic, why are the tunnels to Egypt full of cigarettes, drugs and DVDs that they can sell and tax?” asked Abu Mousa, an Islamic Jihad commander in Khan Younis. “If those tunnels were controlled by Hizbollah, the tunnels would be full of rockets, ammunition and fighters coming to liberate Palestine. Hamas is nothing like Hizbollah who want to fight Israel, not get fat taxing the people of Gaza.”