Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized the need to release Russian Trufanov from Hamas captivity

Russian Presidential Special Envoy for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov emphasized the need to release Russian citizen Trufanov from Hamas captivity in a conversation with Hamas Deputy Politburo Chairman Musa Abu Marzouk. This is stated in a report on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry on February 3.

It is specified that during the conversation they discussed the importance of increasing humanitarian aid to the affected population of Palestine.

"At the same time, the Russian side again emphasized the need to fulfill the promises made by the Hamas leadership regarding the release of Russian citizen A. Trufanov and other hostages held in the Gaza Strip from captivity as a matter of priority," the statement said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry added that they also discussed the importance of continuing to work for the speedy achievement of "inter-Palestinian unity."

Earlier, January 25, it was reported that Bogdanov in a telephone conversation with Moussa Abu Marzouk noted the interest in the release of Russian Trufanov and native of Donbass Harkin held in Gaza. It is specified that during the conversation they discussed the need to provide humanitarian assistance to the population of the conflict zone.

The agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza became known on January 15. On the same day Bogdanov held telephone talks with the leadership of the Palestinian movement and noted the priority of the release of Russian citizens held captive. The ceasefire regime in the Gaza Strip began to operate in the morning of January 19.

The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, 2023, when Hamas subjected the territory of Israel to a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. On the same day, Israel began retaliatory strikes.