Hamas terrorists booted from luxury hotel

After uproar, luxurious Cairo hotel expels 154 Hamas terrorists who were freed by Israel this month as part of the hostage deal.

By World Israel News Staff

More than 150 Arab terrorists recently released by Israel in exchange for 20 live hostages who were held in the Gaza Strip were booted from a luxurious Egyptian hotel after their presence drew widespread media attention.

The Daily Mail reported Tuesday that the 154 terrorists released by Israel earlier this month as part of the hostage deal were expelled from the Renaissance Cairo Mirage City Hotel in the Egyptian capital.

Days earlier, the Mail published photographs of several high-profile terrorists lounging at the hotel, including Mahmoud Issa, the founder of an elite Hamas unit that specializes in kidnapping, and several masterminds of suicide bombing attacks such as Samir Abu Nima and Izz a-Din al-Hamamrah.

About 250 of the nearly 2,000 terrorists released by Israel as part of the October deal were transferred to Egypt, with 154 taking up residence at the Renaissance Cairo Mirage.

While the hotel’s owner, the Marriott Group, declined to respond to the initial report on the convicts over the weekend, it appears the venue’s managers quietly removed the terrorists.

The 154 “guests” have now been relocated to another five-star hotel, but one that is situated farther from areas that draw large numbers of Western tourists.

In addition to their new location, the terrorists now face increased security restrictions, according to the Mail report.

For example, they will no longer be permitted to leave the hotel on day passes for visits in Cairo, and the protocols for meetings with visitors in the hotel have been tightened.

According to the report, the terrorists were removed from the Renaissance Cairo Mirage within hours of the publication of the original story after a British airline crew staying at the hotel was “horrified” upon learning that convicted murderers were among the “guests” hosted by the hotel.