MOSCOW, Oct. 10 Russia is in contact with Palestine and finds out Are there any citizens of the Russian Federation among those taken hostage, said the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov.
«We are in contact with the Palestinians. Indeed, there was information that allegedly persons who have Russian citizenship are also among the hostages. The necessary contacts are being carried out in order to find out whether this is true or not, and what is the further fate of these people,» he told reporters.
Earlier, Hamas Politburo member Musa Abu Marzuk said in an interview with Al-Jazeera that the Hamas movement maintains contacts with Russia on the issue of Israeli prisoners who have Russian second citizenship. The press secretary of the Russian diplomatic mission in Ramallah, Aliya Zaripova, said that there is no confirmed information about captured Russians yet. Hamas spokesman Hussam Badran later said that there was no exact information about the nationality and number of prisoners.
Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov, commenting on the Hamas statement, said that the embassy in Israel does not have information about Russian citizens being held hostage by the Hamas movement.
On the morning of October 7, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. In addition, Hamas fighters, after massive rocket attacks, penetrated into the border areas in southern Israel. The military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement announced Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel. The Israel Defense Forces announced the launch of Operation Iron Swords against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an address to the nation, said that the country was in a state of war and said that he had ordered a widespread mobilization of reserves. The Israeli military is clearing populated areas.
The number of Israeli deaths as a result of the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has reached 900, Haaretz reports. According to the latest data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the death toll as a result of Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip has risen to 687.
The Al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas) said they had captured dozens of Israeli soldiers and officers. Hamas Politburo member Musa Abu Marzouk later reported that more than 100 Israeli citizens, including high-ranking military officials, were captured and held in the Gaza Strip.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier stated the need to urgently stop the bloodshed between Israel and Palestine and called on the parties to stop hostilities. According to him, a solution to the Palestinian problem is possible only on the basis of UN Security Council resolutions, which presuppose the coexistence of two states.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict, related to the territorial interests of the parties, has been a source of tension and clashes in the region for many decades. A UN decision with the active role of the USSR in 1947 determined the creation of two states — Israel and Palestine, but only the Israeli one was created. Israel, while declaring agreement with the two-state principle, did not completely liberate the Palestinian territories.