Russia And Iran Call For Urgent Humanitarian Assistance To Palestinian Civilians

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian exchanged views on the current situation in the Middle East. According to a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, “the heads of diplomacy of Russia and Iran had a detailed exchange of views on the current situation and on the possible developments in the zone of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. General concern was expressed about the ongoing armed conflict in the Gaza Strip.”

Regarding the escalation of the conflict between Hamas and Israel, “the need for a timely ceasefire and the provision of urgent humanitarian assistance to the affected civilian population was emphasized,” the Russian diplomatic service representative added.

Finally, Lavrov informed his Iranian counterpart about Russia’s efforts through the UN Security Council to reduce tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict zone and invited Amir-Abdollahian to “join efforts to free the hostages” who remain in the hands of the Palestinian movement.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that “a Hamas delegation led by Abu Marzook, a member of the Politburo of the Palestinian resistance movement, visited Moscow to discuss with Russian political leaders the conditions for the release of the hostages.” Marzook was received in Moscow by Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Representative of the Russian President for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov. The Hamas visit drew sharp criticism from Israel, but the Kremlin tried to calm passions: “The central topic of the negotiations was the release of the hostages. Relations between Russia and Israel have a great future and will develop further,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.