Hamas says two women with Russian citizenship found among hostages, can only be released if ‘Israelis stop the fighting’

In an interview with the BBC, senior Hamas official Mousa Mohammed Abu Marzook said that Hamas had found two women with dual Russian and Israeli citizenship among the hostages, but would be unable to release them until the fighting stopped. Marzook said the two women would be handed over to the Red Cross if “the Israelis stop the fighting.”

When asked about the other hostages, Marzook said: “We will release them. But we need to stop the fighting.”

On October 26, a Hamas delegation visited Moscow for discussions, which, as reported by the Russian Foreign Ministry, included talks on the release of foreign hostages in Gaza and plans for evacuating Russian and other foreign nationals from the Palestinian enclave. The ministry’s statement did not mention that Russian citizens were among those captured by Hamas. The Israeli Foreign Ministry condemned the Russian authorities’ decision to welcome a Hamas delegation in Moscow.