UN envoy meets with top Hamas officials in Gaza

UN Envoy to the Middle East Nickolay Mladenov visited Gaza yesterday and met with Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh, Quds Press reported.

Mladenov, who entered the besieged enclave through the Israeli controlled Erez (Beit Hanoun) crossing, met with the Hamas leader at his home in Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza city.

During their meeting, Haniyeh raised the issue of the ongoing ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, noting that Hamas is expecting to receive a clear timeframe from Israel about the implementation of the terms of the agreement.

In addition, both sides discussed the issue of the Palestinian prisoners being persecuted inside Israeli jails as they protested against the dire conditions of their detention.

READ: Hamas awaits timeframe for implementation of Israel pledges towards Gaza

Haniyeh warned that the issue of the prisoners could trigger a new escalation between Palestinians and the Israli occupation should the prisoners’ rights not be respected.

They also discussed the international humanitarian projects which would be implemented as part of the ceasefire.