Hamas official in Saudi detention transferred to hospital

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas says one of its officials who has been in Saudi detention for more than five months has been transferred to the hospital because of health complications.

Mohammad Nazal, a member of Hamas’ Political Bureau, said in a tweet early on Tuesday that Muhammad al-Khudari had been transferred by the Saudi authorities from Dhahban Prison in Jeddah to a hospital in Mecca to receive treatment for an unspecified terminal disease.

Last week, Hamas revealed that Saudi authorities had arrested tens of Palestinians, including Khudari, who has been living in Saudi Arabia for over 30 years.

The 81-year-old official represented Hamas in Saudi Arabia between the mid-1990s and 2003. He has held other important positions in the Palestinian resistance movement as well.

Hamas also urged Saudi authorities to release Khudari — who has been held without charge — as well as his son, who has also been detained.

Back on June 3, Lebanese al-Akhbar cited anonymous sources as saying that Saudi officials had been holding dozens of Saudi nationals and Palestinian expatriates in detention for months over affiliation with Hamas. The report said the most prominent figure among those arrested was Khudari.

SS