WNAM REPORT: Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov has welcomed the return of three Israeli women, who were held hostage in the Gaza Strip, also expressing hope for the release of Russia’s Alexander Trufanov in the near future.
“We welcome the release of three Israeli women, who were held in the Gaza Strip for 15 months, Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher, as part of the agreement reached between Israel and Hamas. We hope that our fellow citizen Alexander Trufanov will be able to return home safely too,” the Russian Embassy’s press service in Tel Aviv quoted the diplomat as saying.
The envoy recalled that from the very beginning of the ongoing crisis, Russia had called for a swift release of all hostages held in the Gaza Strip, as well as made active efforts in cooperation with the relevant parties in the region aimed at resolving this humanitarian issue. He also emphasized that “this significant matter never lost its priority even for a day.” “We expect our other key humanitarian appeals previously sent to the Palestinian side to be taken into account too,” he added.
“We are sincerely happy for the women, who have made it back home, as well as for their families and loved ones. We wish them a quick recovery and a return to normal life,” the Russian ambassador noted.
On January 15, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani announced that through mediation efforts by Doha, Cairo, and Washington, Israel and the Palestinian Hamas radical movement had agreed on the exchange of hostages held in Gaza and a ceasefire in the enclave. He said that the agreement, which included three stages, was scheduled to take effect on January 19. During the initial 42-day phase, Hamas will release 33 hostages in exchange for the freedom of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
According to preliminary arrangements, the first phase of the agreement was supposed to come into force on Sunday at 6:30 GMT. However, Hamas delayed handing over the list of hostages it was ready to release on the first day, leading to the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip starting at 9:15 GMT. On January 19, three female Israeli citizens, Romi Gonen (24), Emily Damari (28), and Doron Steinbrecher (31) were returned home. The latest data from the Israeli side estimates the number of hostages still held in Gaza at 94.
