Kremlin spokesperson thanks Hamas administration for its decision
Russia on Saturday welcomed the release of Russian citizen Aleksandr Trufanov in the Gaza Strip.
"We thank the Hamas administration for its decision," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova also issued a written statement expressing gratitude to the Palestinian side, as well as Qatar and Egypt, for their support in securing Trufanov's release.
Recalling that three Russian citizens were released in Nov. 2023, Zakharova emphasized that efforts will continue to secure the release of another Russian citizen still in Gaza.
Earlier on Saturday, Hamas' military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, and Islamic Jihad's military wing, Al-Quds Brigades, released three Israeli captives—including two dual nationals holding American and Russian citizenship—in eastern Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
In exchange, Israel released 369 Palestinian detainees as part of the deal, including 36 serving life sentences and 333 others detained from Gaza after Oct. 7, 2023.
A ceasefire agreement took effect in Gaza on Jan. 19, halting Israel's genocidal war, which has killed more than 48,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
