MOSCOW, April 17. /TASS/. At this point, there are no prospects for the release of more hostages, including Donbass-born Maxim Kharkin, who are still held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to the Kremlin's handouts to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with former Gaza hostage Alexander Trufanov.
"Our remaining compatriot in captivity is Maxim Kharkin, who was born in Donbass (repatriated to Israel in 2005, has no Russian citizenship). An understanding was reached with Hamas that his release will be a priority during phase two of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal, signed between Israel and Hamas in January 2025. However, as of now, there are no prospects for this deal to be implemented," the handout says.
On March 18, the Israeli military resumed military operations in Gaza, carrying out intensive strikes on the enclave, thus breaking the ceasefire deal that had been reached in January. At the same time, Israel demands that Hamas release the remaining hostages (59 people, more than half of them are presumed dead by Israel) without any preconditions.
The Kremlin said that thanks to direct contacts with Hamas delegates, the Russian side managed to secure the release of seven Israeli nationals (four of them are also Russian passport holders). They were released "as an exception, outside the existing agreements with the Israelis on the exchange of hostages to Palestinian prisoners."
Hamas members responded positively to Russia’s requests in gratitude for Moscow’s unwavering support for resolving the Palestinian issue on the internationally accepted basis, the Kremlin said.