The leader of Saudi Arabia, King Salman, held rare talks with Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal, the firsttime in four years the Saudi monarchy acknowledged talks with the Palestinian group.
Mr Meshaal, who was on pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, "praised the positive stance of the kingdom's leadership towards the Palestinian cause", Saudi Arabia's SPA state news agency reported.
The Hamas chief currently lives in exile in Qatar, after he left his previous base in Damascus, when Hamas decided to support rebels against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.