Live Update arrow right icon From the Liveblog of Thursday, October 26, 2023

Russia says it discussed release of hostages in meeting with visiting Hamas official

By AP 26 October 2023, 8:03 pm Edit
File - From left to right: Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Putin's Special Envoy to the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov, and Hamas head of international relations Mousa Abu Marzouk, during a trilateral meeting in Moscow on October 26, 2023. (Hamas Telegram channel)
File - From left to right: Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Putin's Special Envoy to the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov, and Hamas head of international relations Mousa Abu Marzouk, during a trilateral meeting in Moscow on October 26, 2023. (Hamas Telegram channel)

The Russian Foreign Ministry says it discussed the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip and the evacuation of Russian nationals and other foreign citizens with a Hamas representative who visited Moscow today.

The ministry says in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that talks with Abu Marzouk, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, were part of Moscow’s efforts to secure the immediate release of foreign hostages held in Gaza. It says that issues related to organizing the evacuation of Russian and other foreign citizens from Gaza were also discussed.

The ministry notes that the Russian side “reaffirmed its unwavering position in favor of implementing the well-known decisions of the international community,” including a two-state solution.

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