In a gesture of goodwill towards Russia, Hamas has announced that two Russian-Israeli hostages will be the first to be released once a ceasefire agreement is reached with Israel. Musa Abu Marzouk.

“We informed [Moscow’s Special Representative for the Middle East, Mikhail Bogdanov] that when Israel accepts the ceasefire/hostage release agreement, [the Russian hostages] will be a priority, in honor of our friendship with the Russian Federation,” Abu Marzouk said in an interview with the Russian news agency Novosti.

The two Russian-Israeli hostages still in Hamas’s hands are Alexander Lobanov, 32, and Alexander Trufanov, 28, who is being held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Abu Marzouk noted that while Hamas does not recognize the Russian hostages as such, as they are considered Israelis, many of the captives hold other nationalities.

The announcement comes after Hamas released another hostage with Russian citizenship, Roni Krivoi, as a favor to Russian President Vladimir Putin in November. Additionally, Andrey Kozlov, a Russian citizen, was rescued in a daring operation in central Gaza earlier this month, along with three other hostages.

In a separate interview with the Sputnik news agency, Abu Marzouk also emphasized the importance of having Russia as a guarantor of a possible ceasefire with Israel, as a counterbalance to the US. He also revealed that the issue of reconciliation between Palestinian factions will be discussed during Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s upcoming visit to Moscow. However, a unity meeting between Hamas and Fatah, scheduled to take place in China this month, was postponed indefinitely due to deep divisions between the two sides.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)