Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk asked Russia to act as a guarantor for a future cease-fire agreement with Israel.
Following a meeting in Moscow on Monday (June 25) night, he pledged to secure the release of the remaining Russian hostages from Gaza.
Marzouk, who is the head of 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 (June 26), Marzouk stated that Russia should act as a “guarantor” for any future cease-fire agreement with Israel, arguing that the Eurasian country has a more balanced perspective on the conflict compared to 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 domination of the United States and its one-sided influence on the Palestinian issue,” he added.
Notably, in recent weeks, the United States has been pushing for a cease-fire, though no agreement has been reached yet.
Marzouk informed Russian government news agency RIA Novosti 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 estimates that over 130 hostages remain in Gaza, with recent cease-fire negotiations centering on their release as part of the agreement. Earlier this month, Lebanon-based Hamas official Osama Hamdan told CNN that “no one has any idea” how many hostages are still alive.
According to Israeli media, Alexander Lobanov and Alexander Trufanov are the two Russian-Israeli hostages are still in Gaza. Trufanov is being held by Islamic Jihad, another armed group in Gaza and an ally of Hamas.
In November as part of an agreement with the Kremlin, Hamas released three Russian citizen hostages from Gaza.
(With inputs from agencies)
