MOSCOW, October 29. /TASS/. Representatives of the Hamas radical group promised to respond to Moscow's request to release eight Russians held hostage, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told TASS.

"We handed over a list [to Hamas representatives] at a meeting in Moscow. There are eight people on it - these are Russian citizens who are being held hostage. They were promised us to respond, assist, find them and take all measures to free the Russians," he said.

Earlier, representatives of the Hamas group visited Moscow, where they met with Bogdanov. At the meeting the Russian side, in particular, drew attention to the release of hostages and the evacuation of Russians from the Gaza Strip.

Tensions flared up in the Middle East after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip attacked Israeli territory on October 7, when many Israelis living in the settlements near the border were killed and more than 200 people, including children, women and the elderly, were taken hostage. Hamas views its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ steps against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.