Russia Urges Hamas to Release All Hostages
- Antara
Russia – Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov urged the release of all hostages held in Gaza in telephone talks on Sunday and Monday with Hamas and other Palestinian factions, the Russian foreign ministry said.
The statement followed a series of meetings and phone calls between President Vladimir Putin and Middle East leaders in the past week.
Bogdanov's talks highlighted the military and humanitarian situation in Gaza, and Russia reiterated its principled position on the need to cease hostilities and immediately resolve all emerging humanitarian issues, including the release of hostages, the ministry stated.
Ilustrasi alutsista persenjataan Hamas
- AP Photo/Khalil Hamra
The statement did not clarify whether Russia sought the release of all hostages captured by Hamas in the October 7 attack in southern Israel or only the release of Russian citizens among them.
The official spoke with senior figures in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the Palestinian Democratic Union, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and Hamas.
Bogdanov emphasized the need to restore Palestinian unity "within the framework of the PLO" and reiterated Moscow's support for a Palestinian state to coexist with Israel, the statement said.
Russia on Sunday called for an international monitoring mission to go to Gaza to assess the humanitarian situation.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow strongly condemned the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, but it was unacceptable for Israel to use it as a justification for "collective punishment of millions of Palestinians by indiscriminate bombing".
Analysts say that the Gaza war proved beneficial for Russia by diverting world attention from the war in Ukraine and making it harder for Kyiv to compete for attention and military aid from Washington.
Putin also used the opportunity to criticize the failure of United States diplomacy in the Middle East and raise Russia's profile as a regional player with ties to all major actors.
Putin has stepped up his contacts in the past week, although the purpose of his diplomatic flurry remains unclear.
Putin spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, after meeting last week with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran.
