Russia demands the release of hostages in talks with Palestinians. During telephone discussions with Hamas and other Palestinian factions on Sunday and Monday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov urged the release of hostages who were being held in Gaza, according to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Following a series of meetings and phone discussions over the previous week, President Vladimir Putin and leaders from the Middle East issued the statement.

According to the ministry, Bogdanov’s contacts brought attention to the military and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Russia “confirmed its principled position on the need to cease hostilities and urgently resolve all humanitarian problems that have arisen, including the release of hostages,” the ministry stated.

The statement did not make it clear whether Russia wanted all of the captives that Hamas had taken during its raid into southern Israel on October 7 or whether it only wanted the release of any Russian citizens that were among them.

The minister consulted with senior members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the Palestinian Democratic Union, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and Hamas.

It was stated in the statement that Bogdanov emphasized the need to reestablish Palestinian unity “within the framework of the PLO.” It underlined Moscow’s support for the establishment of a Palestinian state that would coexist with Israel.

On Sunday, Russia requested an international monitoring team to travel to Gaza to evaluate the current humanitarian situation.

Israel’s use of the attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7 as a rationale for “the collective punishment of millions of Palestinian people with indiscriminate shelling” is unacceptable, according to Sergei Lavrov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia. Lavrov stated that Moscow strongly denounced the incident.

According to analysts, the conflict in Gaza has been beneficial to Russia because it has diverted the focus of the world away from Russia’s conflict in Ukraine and has made it more difficult for Kyiv to compete for the attention and military assistance of the United States.

In addition, Putin has taken advantage of the situation to criticize the ineffectiveness of the United States’ diplomatic efforts in the Middle East and promote Russia’s profile as a regional player with connections to all of the principal actors.

In the last week, Putin has increased his interactions with other people, although the purpose of his most recent diplomatic flurry is not yet entirely evident.

The previous week, he met with the heads of state of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran. On Saturday, he had a conversation with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and on Sunday, he had a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.