Hamas urges Trump to meet released Palestine prisoners

Hamas urged US President Donald Trump on Friday to meet Palestinians released by Israel as part of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip after he met with Israeli captives held in the Strip and released by the movement.

Basem Naim, a member of the Hamas political bureau, in an open letter addressed to the US president, urged Trump, who spoke of the “unbearable suffering” of the Israeli captives, to: “Show the same level of respect for Palestinian political prisoners and dedicate time to meet them and listen to their stories.”

Naim pointed out that the number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons stands at 9,500.

On Thursday, Trump met with eight former Israeli captives in the Oval Office after Hamas released them as part of the ceasefire agreement that went into effect on 19 January, 15 months after the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip.

US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce noted that the direct talks with Hamas were not negotiations but rather: “The conveyance of the existing American position about Hamas and how it cannot exist in Gaza.”

In response to a question about the meeting of the US Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler with Hamas leaders in Qatar, Bruce said: “If you have a conversation with someone, it’s certainly not a negotiation. It’s not irreconcilable. It is the conveyance of the American position in a different way.”

She stressed that there was no change in the US position towards Hamas.

In response to a question about Washington’s support for Israel’s decision to prevent the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza, Bruce remarked: “Aid can only be delivered in a safe framework. It is not a withholding, but it’s a reflection of the framework of the situation on the ground, and that continues.”

On Sunday, the Israeli government decided to stop the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, hours after the end of the first phase of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Hamas and Tel Aviv and the latter’s failure to begin negotiations for the second phase.

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