Hamas chief to visit Saudi Arabia on Monday: Source

By Anadolu Staff

ANKARA (AA) – Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh will visit Saudi Arabia on Monday, for the first such visit in years, according to a Palestinian source.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Haniyeh will lead a high-profile delegation during the visit to the oil-rich kingdom.

There was no confirmation yet from Riyadh.

The delegation will hold talks with Saudi officials on a number of Palestinian and regional issues as well as bilateral relations between Hamas and Saudi Arabia, the source said.

According to the source, the issue of Palestinian detainees in Saudi Arabia will top the agenda of talks between the two sides.

The visit “marks the first important step on the path of restoring bilateral ties between Saudi Arabia and Hamas” after years of tension, the source said.

The last Hamas visit to Saudi Arabia was in 2015 when former group leader Khaled Meshal met with King Salman bin Abdulaziz and senior Saudi officials.

In August 2021, a Saudi court sentenced 69 Palestinian and Jordanian nationals with different jail terms over accusations of Hamas links.

Riyadh, however, released most of the detainees in recent months, including Hamas representative to the kingdom Mohammed al-Khudari.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar