The Israeli Foreign Ministry told Moscow: “Hosting the leaders of Hamas, who are directly responsible for the deadly terrorist attack that occurred on October 7, the kidnapping of hostages, and the shedding of the blood of more than 1,400 Israelis at their hands, conveys a message of legitimacy for terrorism against Israelis.”

Israel summoned its Russian ambassador, in protest against the visit of a Hamas delegation to the Russian capital, Moscow, according to what the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement issued on Sunday evening.

The Foreign Ministry stated in its statement that “Russian Ambassador to Israel, Anatoly Viktorov, was summoned this morning to protest at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in (occupied) Jerusalem following the Hamas delegation’s visit to Moscow.”

The statement added, "Deputy Director of the Department (Europe and Asia) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Simona Halperin, made it clear to the Russian ambassador that Israel considers it dangerous the lack of a clear and unequivocal condemnation by Moscow of the Hamas terrorist organization and Russia's behavior in international organizations."

The Israeli Foreign Ministry added, "Hosting the leaders of Hamas, who are directly responsible for the deadly terrorist attack that occurred on October 7, the kidnapping of hostages, and the shedding of the blood of more than 1,400 Israelis at their hands, conveys a message of legitimacy for terrorism against Israelis."

Last Thursday, the Hamas delegation that visited Moscow held meetings with Russian officials. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that representatives of Iran and Hamas are in Moscow to hold discussions, for the first time since the outbreak of the war on Gaza.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that “there are representatives of this Palestinian movement in Moscow,” and that Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri is also in the Russian capital, without providing details about the agenda or content of the talks.

On the other hand, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “The hands of senior Hamas officials are stained with the blood of more than 1,400 Israelis who were slaughtered, killed, executed, and burned, and they are responsible for the kidnapping of more than 220 Israelis, including children, women, and the elderly,” as it claimed.

For its part, Hamas stated at the time that its delegation, “led by the head of the movement’s International Relations Office, Dr. Musa Abu Marzouk, met with the Russian President’s Special Envoy to the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Mikhail Bogdanov, at the headquarters of the Russian Foreign Ministry in the capital, Moscow, on noon. today is Thursday".

According to the statement, “the movement’s delegation included a member of the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip, Dr. Bassem Naim, and the movement’s representative to Moscow.”

The statement indicated that "the movement's delegation reviewed the Zionist aggression against the Gaza Strip, and ways to stop the Zionist crimes supported by the United States and the West."

Source: Israeli press