MOSCOW, February 11. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who also serves as special presidential envoy for the Middle East and Africa, and Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General Meirav Eilon Shahar discussed adherence to the Gaza ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Tuesday.

"The parties have managed to exchange views on the situation in the Middle East, primarily the development of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. They mainly focused on the progress made during the implementation of the agreement between Israel and Hamas on the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of hostages," the ministry said. "The Russian side affirmed its focus on efforts aimed at the speedy liberation of people remaining in the enclave, including Russian citizen Alexander Trufanov," the Russian Foreign Ministry added.

The sides as well addressed some relevant issues of "further development of Russian-Israeli multilateral ties and maintaining an active political dialogue," the ministry noted.