Hamas official in Russia, talks hostages, seeks Moscow mediation in cease-fire
Russia is seeking the release of two of its citizens who are still being held in Gaza. The country hosted Palestinian reconciliation talks earlier this year.
Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk called on Russia to be a guarantor of a future cease-fire agreement with Israel, and after a meeting in Moscow on Monday night, he vowed to free the remaining Russian hostages from Gaza.
Marzouk, who heads Hamas’ foreign relations, met Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in the Russian capital. The two discussed the war in Gaza as well as efforts to achieve Palestinian unity, Hamas said in a statement.
In an interview with the Russian state media outlet Sputnik on Tuesday, Marzouk said that Russia should be a “guarantor” of any future cease-fire agreement with Israel because the Eurasian country has a more balanced view on the conflict than the United States.
“We still insist that Russia be the guarantor of such a cease-fire agreement, because obviously the United States is on the side of Israel,” said Marzouk. “Russia’s position is fairer, more acceptable to all sides, and it is ready to act in this direction. We want to put an end to the hegemony of the United States and its one-sided influence on the Palestinian issue.”
The United States has been making a push for a cease-fire in recent weeks, though an agreement has not been reached.
Marzouk told Russian government news agency RIA Novosti on Tuesday that the two Russian citizens being held captive in Gaza will be the first released in any cease-fire agreement with Israel.
“We said that as soon as there is a decision on this (a cease-fire), the two Russians will be the first released,” Marzouk told the outlet.
Israel believes more than 130 hostages remain in Gaza, and recent cease-fire negotiations have focused on securing the release of the captives as part of the deal. Lebanon-based Hamas official Osama Hamdan told CNN earlier this month that "no one has any idea" how many hostages are still alive.
Alexander Lobanov and Alexander Trufanov are the two Russian-Israeli hostages still in Gaza. Trufanov is being held by Islamic Jihad, another armed group in Gaza and an ally of Hamas, according to Israeli media.
Hamas released three Russian citizen hostages from Gaza in November as part of an agreement with the Kremlin.
Why it matters: Russia has been pushing for the release of the Russian hostages and a greater role in mediating between the Palestinian factions. Earlier this month, Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov said that Russia is calling for all hostages to be released from Gaza, including the two Russian citizens.
Russia hosted Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah group, for reconciliation talks in March.
The March meeting followed a Hamas delegation led by Marzouk visiting Moscow in January, during which Russia called on the group to release the Israeli and foreign hostages, including Kozlov, Lobanov and Trufanov.
Marzouk and other Hamas officials also visited Moscow in October shortly after the start of the war, leading to a rebuke from Israel.
What’s next: Marzouk told Sputnik that Russia is “trying” to organize a new meeting of Palestinian factions in Moscow. He said the date for the meeting could be discussed during Abbas’ upcoming visit to Russia.
Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov told reporters on Tuesday that a date for Abbas’ visit has been agreed upon, though he did not say what the date is, according to Tass. Abbas last visited Russia in 2021.
Hamas and Fatah said on Monday that the Palestinian reconciliation meeting that was scheduled to take place in China this month has been postponed.
