Hamas is holding direct talks with Saudi Arabia and through mediators to release the Palestinians held in Saudi jails, Basim Naim, member of Hamas International Relations Office, has said.

In a press release on Wednesday, Naim regretted that Riyadh had put the Palestinian detainees, some hold Jordanian citizenship, on trial.

“We are sorry to hear that the Palestinian being prosecuted have been residing inside Saudi Arabia for dozens of years and have contributed to building the kingdom and supporting the Saudi community,” Naim said.  

On March 8, Saudi authorities started prosecting about 62 Palestinians on charges of “supporting terrorist groups”, Naim pointed out, stressing that those detainees had not engaged in any activity threating Saudi Arabia’s affairs or its supreme interests.      

Naim explained that some of the Palestinian detainees had been in constant contact with Saudi officials on several matters and were operating in coordination with the Saudi authorities.  

A second trial session is scheduled for next May, according to Naim.

Speaking about relations between Hamas and Saudi Arabia, Naim said that such relationship had been affected by the so-called “deal of the century”, noting that the US deal entails normalising ties with the Israeli occupation and undermining the Palestinian resistance.

“These trials come in the context of this new American vision for the conflict,” Naim continued.

The Hamas official reiterated that his movement is open to all countries without siding with one nation against another.

“Hamas will never be a party in a conflict inside or outside any country,” Naim demonstrated. “We expect Saudi Arabia, which has a long history of supporting the [Palestinian] cause, to understand the sensitive circumstances and the movement’s positions.”

Naim hoped that Saudi Arabia would support the Palestinian cause and back all forms of resistance against the occupation, above all the armed resistance.