Hamas is ready to discuss a deal to release civilian prisoners, said politburo member Moussa Abu Marzouk.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Abu Marzouk praised Moscow's positions, saying that active Russian diplomacy "is working to put an end to Israeli crimes."
Abu Marzouk, leading the group's delegation during the Moscow visit, asserted that the Hamas movement appreciates the Russian just and humane position, especially that of President Vladimir Putin.
He lauded the Russian efforts and diplomacy in working to put an end to the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people, adding that Russia is "a friendly country."
The delegation briefed Russian officials on the circumstances that led to the October 7 attack and presented the movement's vision of the current events and mechanisms for dealing with them.
They emphasized the right of the Palestinian people to resist the Israeli occupation.
- "The prisoners are our guests."
The Palestinian official said that since day one, Hamas presented its vision for the civilian prisoners, asserting that the group wants to release all civilian detainees and foreigners who do not hold Israeli citizenship.
During the interview, he said: "The prisoners are our guests" until the appropriate conditions are available for their release, asserting that the severe Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip complicates the process.
The prisoners' issue was also discussed in Moscow during the group's meetings with Russian officials, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry official.
Abu Marzouk explained that after the Israeli army's Gaza division fell, hundreds of citizens and dozens of fighters from various Palestinian factions entered the occupied territories and arrested dozens, most of them civilians.
He indicated that the group needs some time to search, classify them, and release them.
However, it can't be done because of the intense Israeli bombing, as the destructive force of the Israeli bombs that fell on Gaza during the 20 days is equivalent to the nuclear bomb that struck Hiroshima.
- A crushing defeat
The Hamas official hoped Russia and other countries would be successful in their efforts to stop the war, asserting that the Israeli threat to launch a ground invasion would fail.
The Israeli army was subjected to a crushing defeat, and its strongest military division fell within five hours by no more than 1,500 fighters aiming to expel the occupation, said the official.
He indicated that the Israeli enemy is mobilizing tens of thousands of soldiers with the support of the US and the West.
Abu Marzouk told Asharq Al-Awsat that Washington sent its largest aircraft carrier, with the second on its way, and has sent nearly two thousand soldiers from the special forces.
The Western countries are mobilizing forces in countries in the eastern Mediterranean, said the Hamas official, stressing that this Western-backed aggression is doomed to defeat and the morale of the resistance fighters is high.
- Russian role
Meanwhile, Hamas politburo member Hossam Badran said that Russia is capable of playing an essential role in ending the war and delivering aid to the Gaza Strip.
Badran said Hamas appreciates Russia's role at the international level, especially its use of veto power in response to the US position, which supports the occupation endlessly.
He stressed that Russia can play a more significant role in ending the aggression against the people in Gaza and exert international pressure to deliver urgent aid to the Strip.
The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that Russia discussed, during a meeting with a leading Hamas delegation in Moscow, releasing foreign hostages and evacuating Russian citizens from the Gaza Strip.
The official Novosti news agency quoted a Foreign Ministry official as saying, "Contacts were held with him in continuation of the Russian line on the immediate release of foreign hostages in the Gaza Strip. Issues related to ensuring the evacuation of Russian and other foreign citizens from the territory of the Palestinian enclave were also discussed."
- Palestinian state
The meeting affirmed Russia's firm position in support of implementing the well-known resolutions issued by the international community, including the relevant Security Council resolutions, which stipulate the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders that includes its occupied territories with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The Hamas delegation held talks behind closed doors with Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, and Washington criticized the visit, saying it was not the time to provide support to Hamas.
