A Hamas delegation visited Moscow on Thursday for talks on the release of foreign hostages, including Russian citizens the militant group is currently holding in Gaza, Russian news agencies reported, citing the Foreign Ministry.
Senior Hamas member Abu Marzouk also took part in the talks.
“Contacts were held with him following the Russian line on the immediate release of foreign hostages in Gaza. Issues related to securing the evacuation of Russian and other foreign nationals from the territory of the Palestinian enclave were also discussed,” TASS said.
Russia maintains ties with all major players in the Middle East, including Israel, Iran, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls Gaza.
Moscow has repeatedly blamed the current crisis on the failure of U.S. diplomacy and called for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and the resumption of talks to find a peace solution.
According to the Russian news agency RIA, Hamas released its own statement praising the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the State Department to end what it called “Western-backed crimes by Israel.”/Reuters/