MOSCOW, October 10. /TASS/: Russia is taking measures to clarify whether any Russian nationals may be among the hostages being held by the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"We are in touch with the Palestinians," the Kremlin official told journalists. "Indeed, there was some information that individuals with Russian citizenship are purportedly among the hostages," he said.
According to Peskov, "the necessary interaction is maintained in order to find out whether it is true or not, and what the future fate of these people is."
The Hamas Palestinian radical group is maintaining interaction with Russia because several hostages taken to the Gaza Strip have Russian citizenship, Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk told the Al Jazeera TV channel on Monday. On October 8, he claimed that at least 100 new hostages had been captured. The Palestinians insist that they include not only civilians but also Israeli servicemen, including some senior officers. Earlier, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, Secretary General of the Islamic Jihad, said that over 30 Israelis had been captured during an operation near the Gaza Strip. According to him, the hostages include Israeli soldiers and Jewish settlers.
Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when Palestinian militants from the Hamas movement attacked Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. According to the latest official data, almost 700 Palestinians have been killed since the renewed outbreak of violence, while over 3,700 have suffered wounds. In Israel, more than 900 people have lost their lives and about 2,600 have been wounded.
Hamas described its operation as a response to the aggressive actions of the Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem. Israel has declared a state of readiness for war and announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians.
