“We are most concerned about civilian casualties,” Putin said of the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. According to him, lasting peace in the region can only be achieved through the implementation of all UN resolutions and the creation of a full-fledged Palestinian state. “We support Palestine and its people,” Putin added.
Abbas called Russia one of the closest friends of the Palestinian people. The two leaders met shortly after an Israeli attack on Gaza over the weekend that killed 93 people, including 11 children, according to Palestinian authorities. Israel claims to have neutralized 31 militants in the attack.
Abbas had planned to visit Moscow as early as November, but the meeting was postponed due to the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.
AFP recalls that Moscow has long maintained balanced relations with all key actors in the Middle East. However, since the start of the Gaza conflict and Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Moscow has been strengthening relations with Israel’s adversaries such as Hamas and Iran.
The war in the Gaza Strip began on October 7 last year when Hamas attacked Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people. Israel responded with an offensive in Gaza to completely destroy Hamas. According to the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, almost 40,000 Palestinians were killed during the offensive. Moscow has repeatedly criticized Israel’s actions and called for restraint.
The Kremlin has also strongly criticized the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, with Hamas blaming Israel for his death, which has neither officially confirmed nor denied it.
Since 2007, the Hamas movement has ruled the Gaza Strip. Abbas’s rival, the secular and moderate Fatah, controls the Palestinian Authority, which has partial control over the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
