Hamas denounces delay in release of prisoners

Hamas on Sunday condemned Israel's decision to delay the release of Palestinian prisoners, calling it a deliberate attempt to evade its commitments under the agreed-upon deal.

In a statement, senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq dismissed Israel's claim that the handover ceremony of Israeli hostages was humiliating, describing it as "a false claim and a flimsy pretext aimed at shirking its obligations".

Al-Rishq further accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of intentionally disrupting the cease-fire agreement, citing it as evidence of "Israel's lack of reliability in fulfilling its commitments".

The Israeli government had postponed the release of 602 Palestinian prisoners, originally scheduled for Saturday, following Hamas' release of six Israeli hostages as part of the seventh batch of the hostage-prisoner exchange under the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.

On Friday, top leaders from seven Arab countries held a closed-door meeting in Riyadh, with developments in the Gaza Strip expected to dominate the agenda.

At the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the meeting was attended by Jordanian King Abdullah II, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

Doha News, an online news blog in Qatar, reported that the key regional players had gathered to discuss a "postwar Gaza reconstruction plan" that was expected to counter US President Donald Trump's controversial proposal for the US to take control of the territory and expel its Palestinian population.

In an interview with China Daily at the sidelines of the Saudi Media Forum in Riyadh, Najib Saab, secretary-general of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development, said it is wrong the killed Palestinians are treated just as numbers, and it is very sad and "actually shameful" talking about Gaza as a piece of real estate.

"The Arab nations … at least can stop this (Trump's plan) to a certain extent and they should have alliances with other nations to support them. And what we shouldn't forget is human rights and human beings are above real estate," said Saab.

Negotiation method

Trump's statement of moving 2 million Palestinians out of Gaza could be regarded as one of his "negotiation methods" to cut a deal for his big issue, said a renowned Saudi investor and business strategist.

The US leader may want people "to come to him, and allow him to come down to them, but from a power point of view", the Riyadh-based veteran, who chose to be anonymous, told China Daily. As Trump "wants to be on top", taking a "not equal" approach, the Arab nations are forced to come closer together.

The financial muscle of Arab Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Kuwait, "make them fundamental players" in proposing a counter or alternative plan for Gaza's future, Umer Karim, an associate fellow at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, told China Daily.

"And in a manner traditional Arab core states like Egypt and Jordan will be following up on the lead given by these Gulf States particularly as they will be the main financial donors for any future reconstruction of Gaza," he said. "Another focus will be to rally support all across the Arab world for whatever plan for Gaza is agreed within this meeting."

Wen Zongduo in Riyadh and Xinhua contributed to this story.