Russian rights commissioner calls for swift release of Russians held by Hamas

Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner says she issued a fresh appeal to senior UN and other officials to take action to secure the release of Russian nationals still held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Tatyana Moskalkova, writing on the Telegram messaging app, says she had launched the appeal after meeting in Moscow with relatives of those still being held.

“In one conversation, one of the mothers told me details of the situation of those being held,” she writes.

News reports have put at eight the number of hostages holding Russian passports, including three who were released.

Moskalkova said she had appealed to the UN High Commissioner For Human Rights, Volker Turk, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric, and other officials “for the rapid return home of our compatriots.”