Decree 1630: Egypt rejects daughter of Hamas negotiator's citizenship bid
The Interior Ministry denied status to Asmaa Hamad, citing security concerns, three siblings already hold Egyptian passports.
By Harper Laurent ·
Asmaa Hamad no longer holds a path to Egyptian citizenship. The Interior Ministry formally rejected her application on security grounds, a decision that leaves her without the status her siblings secured.
The rejection appears in Ministerial Decree No. 1630 of 2026, published in the Official Gazette on Wednesday. The decree cites Article 3, Paragraph 2 of Law No. 154 of 2004, which allows the ministry to deny nationality requests within one year of submission. Asmaa Hamad was born in 1989, making her eligible to notify the ministry of her desire for Egyptian nationality.
Her father, Ghazi Hamad, serves as a senior member of the Hamas political bureau and was part of the negotiating team in Doha. The US Treasury Department sanctioned him in November 2024 for his role in fundraising and weapons smuggling. He previously oversaw Gaza’s border crossings before the October 7, 2023, conflict.
Asmaa Hamad applied for citizenship while residing in Egypt. She has since moved to Qatar with her husband. A family source told Al-Manassa that the rejection was surprising, noting that three of her siblings received Egyptian citizenship through their mother.
The Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv did not respond to requests for comment on the new decree.
