Hamas delegation in Russia, talks Gaza cease-fire, Israeli hostages

Adam Lucente

Jan 19, 2024

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov attends a meeting of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his counterparts of the Gulf Cooperation Council member states in Moscow on July 10, 2023. — NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images

Russia urged Hamas to release Israeli and foreign hostages held in Gaza during the group’s visit to Moscow on Friday as pressure builds for the captives to be released and for the two warring sides to reach a cease-fire.

Hamas’ head of international relations, Moussa Abu Marzouk, met the Russian presidential envoy for the Middle East, Mikhail Bogdanov. During the meeting, Bogdanov pressed Hamas to release the hostages held in the Gaza Strip, including three Russian citizens.

“The Russian side stressed the need for the immediate release of civilians, including three Russian nationals Andrey Kozlov, Alexander Lobanov, and Alexander Trufanov, who were kidnapped in the October 7, 2023 attacks and have been held by Palestinian groups ever since,” read a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Militants took more than 240 people hostage during Hamas' Oct. 7 incursion into southern Israel, including many foreigners, and killed around 1,200 people. More than 100 hostages have been released in various exchanges with Israel and 132 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza, by Israel's count.