Kremlin: Diplomats are working to free Russians in the Gaza Strip

Russian diplomats are making every effort to free the Russians who are being held hostage by Hamas, but there is currently no detailed information about their fate. Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov told reporters about this.

“I repeat once again that certain contacts are being carried out for this purpose, our diplomats are working. Of course, in the situation that exists there, it is now difficult to talk about detailed information. Our diplomats are making all necessary efforts,” he said.

Peskov also said that the Russian Federation has contact with some Russians who live in the Gaza Strip and have expressed a desire to leave it due to the blockade, but did not provide any details about their fate.

Hamas currently holds 212 Israelis hostage. At the same time, the representative of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Daniel Hagari, noted that this number is not final. In turn, Hamas claimed that there were about 200-250 prisoners in the Gaza Strip. The Russian Embassy in Israel previously reported that at least two Russians were on the Hamas list. The IDF said on October 23 that it was ready to abandon the ground operation in the Gaza Strip if Hamas released the hostages.

On the morning of October 7, the Palestinian group Hamas began military operations against Israel. The IDF responded by launching Operation Iron Swords, striking hundreds of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government announced that the country had entered a state of war. As a result of the fighting, according to the latest data, over 6,000 people were killed, including 4,651 from the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military also reported on October 21 that citizens of 42 states were killed as a result of the group’s attack. According to the Russian Embassy, ​​20 Russians are among them.