Hamas: We spoke with Moscow about the future of the Middle East – it is different from what the US is planning

Moscow’s invitation to Hamas shows that it considers it not a terrorist organization but a liberation organization, its spokesman said: “We have a positive attitude towards Moscow’s request for the release of hostages with Russian citizenship.”

Tensions between Tel Aviv and Moscow over Hamas invitation to Russia

Tel Aviv’s relations with Moscow are experiencing their worst crisis since 1973. The Israeli government is waging a bitter attack on the Russian government over the reception given to Hamas in the Russian capital.

As Musa Abu Marzuk, a member of the Hamas Politburo and the head of the foreign policy department, stated in an interview with RIA Novosti, the Hamas delegation in Moscow discussed the future of the Greater Middle East region, which “different from what the US is planning.”

“We came to Moscow at the invitation of the Russian Foreign Ministry… We held meetings, discussed everything related to the Palestinian problem, how to jointly determine a future for the entire region and humanity, different from the one planned by the United States,” – said Abu Marzuk.

In his opinion, the invitation to Hamas to visit Russia during the current conflict “became a signal to the whole world that Russia considers the Hamas movement not terrorist, but a liberation movement that protects the interests of its people and wages a war for justice.”

“This war was started by the West, America, Great Britain and France, and Israel, through its actions towards Jerusalem, the West Bank, the blockade of the Gaza Strip and its attitude towards Palestinian prisoners, created all the conditions,” – Marzuk noted.

“We have a positive attitude towards Moscow’s request for the release of hostages with Russian citizenship.” Regarding Russia’s demand to immediately release hostages with Russian citizenship from the Gaza Strip, Marzouk said that he applies to him “positive and attentive.”

“Most Israelis have citizenship of some other country – Russia, the USA, France, Spain, Italy and many countries have approached us with requests regarding their citizens held in the Gaza Strip. We treat the request from Russia more positively and cautiously than others, due to the nature of the relationship with her,” – said Marzuk.

At the same time, he noted that Hamas views the hostages being held primarily as Israelis, and not as citizens of the countries from which they came. “We have not captured a single Russian, French, American or any foreigner. All those captured for us are Israelis, although there is a call to name their main nationalities in the hope that this will save them.” – he explained.

Israel’s statement is extremely harsh, and for the first time since 1990, when relations between the two countries entered a phase of normalization and cooperation, they are at this level.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement: “Hamas is a terrorist organization that is worse than ISIS. The hands of senior Hamas officials are stained with the blood of more than 1,400 Israelis who have been massacred, killed, executed and burned, and they are responsible for the abduction of more than 220 Israelis, including infants, children, women and the elderly. Israel views the invitation of senior Hamas officials to Moscow as a shameful step that provides support for terrorism and legitimizes the atrocities of Hamas terrorists. We call on the Russian government to immediately expel Hamas terrorists from the country“.

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