The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed on October 26 that a delegation from the militant group Hamas visited Moscow to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip, prompting a rebuke from Israel.
“I can say and confirm that representatives of the Palestinian movement are visiting Moscow,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.
The deputy foreign minister of Iran, Ali Bagheri Kani, also visited Moscow on October 26, Zakharova added.
The visit of the Hamas delegation was reported earlier on October 26 by RIA Novosti, quoting a source in the Palestinian delegation. The delegation is headed by Hamas political leader Abu Marzuk, according to RIA Novosti and TASS.
The Foreign Ministry said later in a statement that it discussed the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip and the evacuation of foreigners, including Russian nationals, with a Hamas representative.
The statement said the talks emphasized “the need for a cessation of hostilities in and around the Gaza Strip and the prompt provision of humanitarian assistance to the affected Palestinian population.”
The diplomats also reaffirmed a shared commitment by Moscow and Tehran to “continue close coordination of efforts in the interests of stabilizing the situation in the Middle East.”
SEE ALSO: Iranians Show Little Support For Palestinian Cause Amid Gaza ConflictHamas praised the efforts of Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Ministry to end what it called "the crimes of Israel that are supported by the West," according to a statement quoted by RIA Novosti.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry Israel reacted angrily to the visit, calling Russia’s invitation to the Hamas delegation "deplorable" and saying the organization is worse than Islamic State.
“The hands of senior Hamas figures are covered with the blood of more than 1,400 Israelis who were slaughtered, murdered, executed and burned, and they are responsible for the abduction of more than 220 Israelis, including babies, children, women and the elderly," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Concern for the hostages has been growing and only increased after a spokesman for Hamas's armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, said about 50 captives had been killed in Gaza due to Israeli strikes, which the militant organization says have killed 7,000 Palestinians. The spokesman gave no further details.
The U.S. State Department said Washington knows a significant number of people have died in Gaza but does not have independent confirmation of numbers, adding that it does not trust the figures released by Hamas.
Spokesman Matthew Miller also commented on the Hamas delegation’s visit to Moscow, saying that the United States has seen Russia play no productive role in the Middle East crisis.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, asked about the delegation visiting Moscow, said this is not a time to be supporting Hamas.