GAZA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Hamas leader in Gaza Ismail Haneya on Wednesday said presidential elections in Egypt "would define the future of the Palestinian cause."

"The results of the elections will also establish a role for the nation in the world map," Haneya added in a brief statement.

Hamas does not have a declared position supporting a specific candidate, but it is understood that it prefers a Muslim Brotherhood hopeful to win, since Hamas had been the Palestine extension of the Egyptian group.

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, toppled by mass protests in 2011, has cooperated with Israel in imposing a blockade on the Gaza Strip that Israel says was aiming to isolate Hamas.

Hamas hopes that Gaza's only gate to the outside world, Rafah crossing point on Egypt's borders, would be open on more regular and ordinary basis after the Egyptian elections.