Qatar emir, Hamas leader meet in Doha

The emir of Qatar met Friday with a delegation from Hamas headed by its top official Khalid Mashaal, officials said. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and members of Mashaal's delegation discussed developments in the Palestinian arena and the efforts to implement reconciliation, a politburo member told the Palestine Information Center. Ezzat al-Resheq said in a statement that Mashaal told the emir about recent developments with regard to reconciliation and assured him of Hamas’s continuing efforts to end the rift and achieve unity. Mashaal also informed him of "what Palestinian captives have to endure in occupation jails, as they enter their 11th day of hunger strike. He stressed the importance of working on all levels to end their suffering." On Thursday, Mashaal phoned President Mahmoud Abbas and discussed ways to coordinate efforts on the part of prisoners who joined a mass hunger strike, the Hamas same Hamas website reported. A statement published on the website said the officials agreed on ways to activate efforts to support the prisoners, especially on solitary confinement and the so-called Shalit law.