A delegation of senior Hamas figures went to Moscow to hold talks with senior Russian officials, including Russian Foreign Ministry officials.
The delegation is headed by a senior member of the organization abroad, Musa Abu Marzuk, who was joined by other senior officials, including Hossam Badran and Fathi Hamad.
Palestinian sources revealed that a representative of the organization in Moscow would also participate in the talks.
The talks were described as "important", and it was reported that members of the Hamas delegation would discuss with the Russians the situation in Jerusalem and developments on the ground in the Palestinian arena.
"Blatant Israeli aggression": Haniyeh against the backdrop of his bombed-out office in Gaza, archive, Photo: Reuters
The visit comes at a time when Israel and Russia are experiencing tensions in their relations in light of the Russian Foreign Minister's statement that "the fact that the president of Ukraine is Jewish does not mean that there are no Nazi elements in Ukraine."
He also stated that he believed that "Hitler also had Jewish blood."
In recent years, Hamas has nurtured its relations with Russia and made visits to Moscow, during which it met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Bogdanov.
Talks with Hamas: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Bogdanov (right) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Photo: IPA
About two weeks ago, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh spoke by telephone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and discussed with him what Hamas described as "Israel's aggression in al-Aqsa."
Meanwhile, Hamas warns Israel of the consequences of the decision to resume Jewish visits to the Temple Mount tomorrow (Thursday) and says that "Israel will be responsible for our people's response to the blatant aggression."
Muhammad Hamada, a Hamas spokesman, called on Palestinians in Jerusalem and Israeli Arabs to visit al-Aqsa and increase its presence in order to prevent "settler herds from achieving their abominable goal" in the face of "settler calls to break into al-Aqsa on Palestinian Nakba Day and the Israeli government intends to allow it." Hamada said in an interview with Hamas al-Aqsa Radio.
Hamas also warned that "Israel is re-igniting the region and re-igniting the conflict with its ongoing aggression by invading al-Aqsa, and preventing the call for prayer. This racist behavior will return like a boomerang on Israel. The Palestinian people will not allow the occupation to continue invading the mosque."
Were we wrong?
Fixed!
If you found an error in the article, we'll be happy for you to share it with us