Hamas, Houthis hope for deal with Saudi Arabia
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group is suggesting the release of Saudi captives in exchange for the release of Palestinians detained in Saudi jails, an unprecedented proposal that was widely welcomed by the Palestinian Hamas movement.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — In an unprecedented development that further strained relations between the Palestinian Hamas movement and Yemen’s internationally recognized government, Hamas welcomed the initiative of Yemen’s Houthi leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, to release Saudi captives in exchange for Hamas prisoners detained in Saudi Arabia.
In a televised speech March 26 on the television channel Al-Masirah, marking the fifth anniversary of the outbreak of the Yemeni war, Houthi said his group is ready to release five Saudi captives, including a pilot, if Saudi Arabia frees Hamas members detained since April 2019.
