Hamas Delegation Visits Moscow to Hold ‘Important’ Talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. (AP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. (AP)
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Hamas Delegation Visits Moscow to Hold ‘Important’ Talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. (AP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. (AP)

A delegation from the Palestinian Hamas movement arrived in Moscow on Tuesday at the invitation of Russia’s Foreign Ministry to hold “important” talks with Russian officials.

Deputy Head of Hamas Political Bureau Moussa Abu Marzouk led the delegation, which included Hamas leaders Fathi Hammad and Hussam Badran, as well as the Movement’s representative in Moscow.

Officials are scheduled to hold talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, and a meeting may be set with the Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

They also plan to hold consultations at the State Duma (parliament) and the Federation Council (Senate) and meet with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

Talks will focus on the situation in Jerusalem, the field developments in the Palestinian Territories and the Russian-Palestinian ties.

Sources said Hamas plans to raise the issue of Israel’s frequent provocative acts in the occupied West Bank, the siege imposed on Gaza Strip, and the regional situation, in light of the current global crisis with Russia's war against Ukraine.

Israel on Monday lashed out at Russia over “unforgivable” comments by its foreign minister about Nazism and antisemitism - including claims that Adolf Hitler was Jewish.

Israel, which summoned the Russian ambassador in response, said the remarks blamed Jews for their own murder in the Holocaust.

It was a steep decline in the ties between the two countries at a time when Israel has sought to stake out a cautious position between Russia and Ukraine and remain in Russia’s good stead for its security needs in the Middle East.

Asked in an interview with an Italian news channel about Russian claims that it invaded Ukraine to “denazify” the country, Lavrov said Ukraine could still have Nazi elements even if some figures, including the country’s president, were Jewish.

“So when they say ‘How can Nazification exist if we’re Jewish?’ In my opinion, Hitler also had Jewish origins, so it doesn’t mean absolutely anything. For some time we have heard from the Jewish people that the biggest antisemites were Jewish,” he said.

Tel Aviv called on Moscow to apologize to the Jewish people.

The Russian ministry said in a statement that Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid's comments were “anti-historical” and “explaining to a large extent why the current Israeli government supports the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv.”

The Hamas delegation’s visit to Moscow is the second since December 2021, when talks focused on Palestinian reconciliation and Russia’s repeated call on Palestinian factions to end their division.



Germany’s Merz Announces Gaza Aid Airlift, Mulls Upping Ante on Israel

 28 July 2025, Berlin: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks at a press conference at the Federal Chancellery, after the Security Cabinet meeting on the conflicts in the Middle East. (dpa)
28 July 2025, Berlin: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks at a press conference at the Federal Chancellery, after the Security Cabinet meeting on the conflicts in the Middle East. (dpa)
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Germany’s Merz Announces Gaza Aid Airlift, Mulls Upping Ante on Israel

 28 July 2025, Berlin: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks at a press conference at the Federal Chancellery, after the Security Cabinet meeting on the conflicts in the Middle East. (dpa)
28 July 2025, Berlin: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks at a press conference at the Federal Chancellery, after the Security Cabinet meeting on the conflicts in the Middle East. (dpa)

Germany will immediately launch an airlift to deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza as it considers stepping up pressure on Israel over the "catastrophic" situation in the enclave, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday.

As the death toll from almost two years of war in Gaza nears 60,000, a growing number of people are dying from starvation and malnutrition, Gaza health authorities say, with images of starving children shocking the world and fueling international criticism of Israel over sharply worsening conditions.

Germany, together with the United States, has long remained one of Israel's staunchest allies and largest arms suppliers.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday many people were starving in the enclave, contradicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who denied there was starvation there.

The German security cabinet convened for more than two hours on Monday to discuss the situation, Merz told a news conference in Berlin. While it welcomed Israel's announcement of a halt in military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza as an "important first step", it agreed more must follow.

Asked if the council discussed sanctions like suspending the EU pact governing relations with Israel, a move Germany has in the past rejected, Merz said the council had discussed what options were available.

"We are keeping such steps on the table," he said.

Before making any decisions, however, he would try to speak with Netanyahu later on Monday and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul would travel to the region on Thursday, possibly together with his British and French counterparts. The German government would then reassess the situation over the weekend.

In the meantime, Berlin would do what it could to help alleviate the humanitarian situation, launching an airlift in cooperation with Jordan to deliver aid into Gaza.

"Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will closely coordinate with France and the UK, who are also willing to provide such an airlift for food and medical supplies," he said.

"We know that this can only provide very limited help for the people in Gaza, but it is nonetheless a contribution we are eager to make."

Germany would also prepare for a Gaza reconstruction conference in coordination with regional partners, Britain and France, he said. "No further expulsions from the Gaza Strip must occur."

German officials say their approach to Israel is governed by a special responsibility, known as the Staatsraison, arising from the legacy of the Nazi Holocaust.

They have long believed they can achieve more through diplomatic back channels than public statements. But Merz has come under growing pressure in recent weeks, including from within his own coalition, to take a firmer stance on Israel, and faced broad criticism for failing to join a statement last week by dozens of Western nations condemning the "inhumane killing" of Palestinians.