“We believe that the opportunity is still ripe to close the file of the detainees in Saudi Arabia; it ended legally with such unpleasant and painful rulings, but we hope for a political step through which we could overcome this calamity,” Mishaal said in recorded remarks.

“We know your pain, but we ask you not to feel desperate because we have been making ongoing and intensive efforts with mediators and decision-makers in Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the crisis,” the Hamas official affirmed.

“Our efforts will not stop until all the detainees return to their homes and are reunited with their families,” he added.

A Saudi criminal court on Sunday issued different sentences against 69 Palestinian and Jordanian detainees, with some handed down jail terms of up to 22 years and others acquitted.

Dozens of Palestinians have been in detention and facing trial before a Saudi court since February 2019, including businessmen, academics and students, over claims of supporting the Hamas Movement. (ILKHA)