Deputy head of Hamas political bureau Moussa Abu Marzouk. AP
Oct 27,
2023. Posted by Balkan Periscope - Hellas
Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas member on Friday, in a statement to
Al-Arabiya TV, announced a set of conditions for the release of Israeli
captives, among them a ceasefire, as he led a delegation that held talks with a
top Iranian diplomat in Moscow.
“We demand (a response to our) conditions for the release of detainees, including a ceasefire,” Abu Marzouk, the deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, told Al-Arabiya.
Abu
Marzouk met on Friday with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political
Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani, Russian state news agency Tass said.
The Iranian
diplomat told Abu Marzouk that Tehran’s “priority” in negotiations is “an
immediate ceasefire, providing assistance to the people and lifting the
repressive blockade of Gaza,” Tass reported.
The Israeli
foreign ministry slammed Russia’s decision to invite Hamas representatives to
Moscow as “an act of support for terrorism.”
“We welcome
anyone who wants to fight alongside us," Abu Marzouk said,
according to Al-Arabiya.
"We
are counting on our Arab brethren to reach a ceasefire," he said.
Abu Marzouk
also voiced his gratitude to Russia, saying they had protected Hamas twice
at the UN Security Council with a veto.
He added
that “Russia and China represent a bloc that defends us.”
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