Russia Holds Meeting With Hamas Leaders in Moscow

Russia discussed the evacuation of foreigners out of Gaza and the release of hostages with senior Hamas officials (Wikimedia Commons).

Hamas representatives met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Moscow on October 26 to discuss the release of foreign hostages and evacuation of foreign citizens from Gaza. The following day, Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, met with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagger Kani, where the two called for a ceasefire, termination of the blockade on Gaza, and humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

Aba Marzouk said Hamas considers the request of its “Russian friends” to free Russian-Israeli dual citizen hostages “more positively and attentively” than similar requests from other nations due to its relationship with Russia. However, he also declared that Hamas views Israeli dual citizens firstly as Israelis, worsening prospects for future hostage releases.

Israel denounced the meeting, claiming Russia was supporting terrorism and calling for Russia to expel the Hamas delegation. This puts further strain on Russian-Israeli relations. The two nations grew closer for years until the Russia-Ukraine war opened a rift between them, as Putin claimed that Ukraine’s Jewish President Volodymyr Zelensky was a neo-Nazi. Russia has further soured its relations with Israel by growing closer with Iran, one of Israel’s main enemies, due to Western sanctions.

Russian authorities also declined to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization, arguing that no Hamas members have been convicted of crimes in Russia. Some argue that this is irrelevant, as at least 19 Russian citizens have died in the Israel-Hamas war so far. Notably, Russia has already designated five groups affiliated with Hamas as terrorist organizations.

Russia has started taking advantage of the conflict to advance its own global interests despite an initially slow response. Recently, however, Putin offered condolences to Israelis while condemning Israel for punishing Palestinians under the principle of collective responsibility. He blamed the United States for failing to solve the conflict despite its heavy diplomatic involvement in the region.

The Israel-Hamas war may benefit Russia in its war against Ukraine by shifting Western leaders’ attention and budgets to providing Israel with military aid rather than Ukraine. However, Russia may have to commit more troops to the region to protect its interests in Syria if the conflict spreads across the region.

By taking a more pro-Hamas position, Russia supports its anti-Western narrative, helping it build alliances with countries in the Global South. Russia’s active role in this conflict shows that the West has been unable  to  isolate it completely from the rest of the world. Time will tell if Russia truly benefits from its current actions.