Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged the United Nations on Saturday to press Israel to release militants it seized from a prison in the West Bank town of Jericho days ago.

Abbas made the appeal during a meeting with the UN special envoy for the Middle East Peace Process Alvaro De Soto at the Palestinian National Authority's headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Israel raided a major prison in Jericho on Tuesday and detained six prominent Palestinian militants jailed there for alleged involvement in deadly anti-Israel attacks.

Abbas also urged the UN envoy to press Israel to open the crossings in the Gaza Strip so as to allow daily necessities and fuel to flow into the coastal area to avoid a humanitarian disaster, said Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, who also attended the meeting between Abbas and De Soto.

The Palestinian side would continue efforts to secure the release of the militants snatched by Israel from the Jericho prison, Erekat added.

De Soto, on his part, said that he and Abbas discussed the formation of a new Palestinian government led by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) which is sworn to Israel's destruction.

The UN envoy said that the Quartet Committee, which groups key international mediators, would determine its stance toward the new Hamas-led government after the announcement of the cabinet line-up.

The Quartet-- the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia-- have threatened to cut aid to the cash- strapped Palestinian government if Hamas does not renounce violence, recognize Israel and accept interim peace deals.

Earlier in the day, Hamas premier-designate Ismail Haneya announced that he would present the new cabinet to Abbas on Sunday evening.

Source: Xinhua