Kremlin says no success in freeing Russian hostages from Hamas

By : AFP

Date: 24 October 2023 4:30pm WAT

A handout picture provided by the Lebanese Prime Minister's Press Office shows Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati (L) visiting a Lebanese army barracks in the southern city of Tyre along with Lebanese Army commander in chief Joseph Aoun on October 24, 2023. - As tensions have again risen sharply on the border, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the buffer between Israel and Lebanon since 1978, has warned that the situation could get "out of control". (Photo by Lebanese Prime Minister's Press Office / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO /LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS OFFICE" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO /LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS OFFICE" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS /

The Kremlin said Tuesday it had not succeeded in freeing Russian hostages being held by Hamas and did not know how many of its citizens had been taken.
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Russia has working relations with Israel as well as Hamas, and when the Palestinian militant group took more than 200 hostages during its attack on Israel this month, Moscow launched a diplomatic effort to try to free them.

“Indeed, we have not succeeded so far, but we will continue,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, when asked about Moscow’s efforts to secure the release of Russian citizens.

“We don’t have exact information about how and when they can be returned at the moment,” Peskov added.

He added Moscow will “continue our contacts with all sides”.

Hamas has freed four women — two Americans and two Israelis — in recent days.
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Moscow said it could not say how many Russian citizens were among the hostages.

“It’s not appropriate to give approximate figures. I can’t tell you the exact amount,” Peskov said.

Russia’s ambassador to Israel, Anatoly Viktorov, told state media last week that there were at least two hostages that had dual Russian and Israeli citizenship, but said the number could be bigger.

Russia has not declared Hamas a terror group and has repeatedly called for the creation of a Palestinian state as a long-term solution to the conflict.
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Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7.

They killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burnt to death on the first day of the raid, according to Israeli officials.

More than 5,700 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed across the Gaza Strip in relentless Israeli bombardments in retaliation for the attacks, according to the latest toll from the Hamas health ministry in Gaza.
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