(JNS.org) Israel and Egypt are working together to defeat Hamas in Gaza and in the Sinai Peninsula, according to reports. “Cooperation is growing tighter on the intelligence and operational level – in fact, on all military levels,” an anonymous Israeli official told the Times of Israel. Under the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, Egyptian military forces are not permitted to operate in the Sinai. But with the increase of lawlessness and terrorism in the region, Israel has quietly permitted the Egyptian army to patrol the region. Egypt’s military-backed government has long accused Hamas of supporting terror organizations in the Sinai and cooperating with the Muslim Brotherhood.