Hamas, Saudi leaders reportedly meet for first time in years

The meeting was said to include Khaled Meshaal, who heads the Palestinian Islamic group that controls Gaza, and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman.

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(JTA) — Top Hamas officials reportedly met with senior Saudi leaders in the first such meeting in years.

The meeting on Friday included Khaled Meshaal, the political head of the Palestinian Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed Hamas source. The article did not say where the meeting took place.

Reuters described the meeting as indicating a potential rapprochement between the U.S.-allied kingdom and the Palestinian group, which seeks to eliminate the State of Israel and has been responsible for hundreds of terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens.

“The delegation discussed Palestinian unity and the political situation in the region,” the Hamas source told Reuters. “This meeting will hopefully develop relations between Hamas and Saudi Arabia.”

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