Cairo, Egypt. Photo: Flyvancity via Wikimedia Commons.

i24 News – Seventy members of Hamas released from Israeli prisons as part of the hostage agreement are currently stranded in a hotel in Cairo, with the countries that had committed to hosting them not yet formally agreeing to do so.

“To date, no Arab country has agreed to receive even a single released and expelled Palestinian prisoner,” a source from the Palestinian Prisoner Authority told Ynet.

The ex-prisoners, who are not allowed to leave their hotel, describe their situation as moving “from an Israeli prison to an Egyptian prison.” The source reports that they had to stay for a long time with their prison clothes and sandals, adding that “the Egyptians do not treat them warmly.”

In addition to those stuck in Egypt, 23 other prisoners who were supposed to be deported abroad are trapped in the Gaza Strip. Among the countries mentioned as potential destinations are Algeria, Turkey, Tunisia, and Qatar.

In a joint statement, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed al-Thani and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that they would agree to host a portion of the released prisoners, without specifying their number. Al-Thani emphasized that hosting the Palestinian prisoners “must be based on their own decision,” while Fidan simply stated: “We have agreed to accommodate a certain number of Palestinian prisoners expelled abroad.”

This situation arises as negotiations for phase two of the agreement are about to begin. Al-Thani indicated that there is no clear plan yet for conducting the discussions, adding that Qatar is currently holding talks with Israel and Hamas in preparation for the negotiations. “We hope to see movement on this issue in the coming days,” he said.