Russian envoy defends Hamas ties, says contacts helped free hostages

Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov has defended the Kremlin's ties with Hamas, stating that the contacts serve humanitarian goals and have contributed to hostage releases. Viktorov clarified that Russia does not view Hamas as a creation or beneficiary of Russian involvement and reiterated that Russia does not support terrorist activity.

He explained that Hamas is a consequence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict due to the lack of a political resolution to the Palestinian issue. The ambassador argued that discontinuing ties with the terrorist group would have impeded Russia from acting on humanitarian matters, especially in the context of hostage situations. He emphasized that a substantial portion of Russia's interactions with Hamas representatives since October 2023 have centered on facilitating the release of Israeli hostages, including Russian nationals.

While Russia does not align with Israel's stance on Hamas' status, it continues to maintain ties with various Palestinian factions and supports the establishment of a Palestinian state coexisting peacefully with Israel. Viktorov endorsed the U.S. plan for Gaza but stressed the need to stabilize the situation on the ground before moving to the next phase of the plan.

He also rejected the notion that the United States could single-handedly resolve the conflict, emphasizing the necessity of involvement from regional countries and the international community. Regarding the new Mossad chief, Roman Gofman, Viktorov expressed his personal knowledge of Gofman and congratulated him on his appointment, stressing the importance of continued cooperation between the two countries' security services.

He confirmed that ties between Russian and Israeli security agencies have not been severed and that they still discuss shared threats. As for the upcoming Israeli elections, Viktorov did not anticipate significant changes in Israel-Russia relations and clarified that Russia is not the focal point of Israel's election campaign, with security and regional issues being more pressing.

He also highlighted that despite tensions, political dialogue between Russia and Israel persists, and Russia appreciates Israel's refusal to join Western sanctions against Moscow or provide lethal weapons to Ukraine. Viktorov discussed the potential resumption of direct flights between Israel and Russia, expressing hope that El Al would resume service to Russia and that Moscow could restore Aeroflot flights to Israel.

He believed that Aeroflot meets safety standards and can resume flights to Israel. Additionally, Viktorov addressed agricultural trade, noting that Russia remains a significant supplier of grain to Israel and that cooperation in this sector will not be discontinued.