Kremlin receives Hamas official to discuss possible release of hostages

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Kremlin receives Hamas official to discuss possible release of hostages
This article was originally published in Russian

Musa Abu Marzouk said Hamas could “prioritize the release of the two Russian citizens hostages, but within the framework of an exchange agreement with Israel.”

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The deputy head of Hamas’s political wing, Musa Abu Marzouk, traveled to Moscow to discuss the potential release of Russian nationals held hostage in Gaza.

He met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who is also Vladimir Putin’s special representative for the Middle East.

According to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry carried by state-controlled media, the two men discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip and “the desire of Russian diplomacy to continue to promote the consolidation of forces and Palestinian political movements on the political platform of Palestinian liberation.” Organization”.

Abu Marzouk is listed by the US government as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist”.

In an interview with Russian state media, he said Hamas could “prioritize the release of two Russian hostages, but within the framework of a swap deal with Israel.”

Abu Marzouk claimed that the two Russians detained in the Gaza Strip are both military personnel; one of them, Alexander Trufanov, is believed to be held by the radical Islamist movement Islamic Jihad and was captured during fighting in the region.

However, Israeli media reported that Trufanov was captured by Hamas fighters along with relatives in Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel during the brutal attack on Israel on October 7 last year, during which some 1,200 people were killed.

Abu Marzouk said the second Russian national to remain in Hamas was Maxim Harkin. Marzouk said Harkin’s family “went to Russia and obtained citizenship for him so Russia could help them free him.”

Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad are recognized as terrorist organizations in several countries, but Hamas and the Kremlin maintain stable relations and a Hamas delegation visited Moscow just two weeks after the October 7 massacre and kidnappings. .

He also said Hamas had asked Russia to pressure Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Fatah movement and chairman of the PLO executive committee, who is currently attending the BRICS summit in Kazan, to begin negotiations on the formation of a Palestinian unity government. Abbas met Putin on Wednesday.

Abu Marzouk said Hamas is not asking Russia for military aid “but really needs Russia’s help, whether humanitarian or supporting the UN Security Council.”

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