CAIRO, November 26. /TASS/. A Russian national may be among the third group of hostages who are expected to be released by Hamas under the prisoner swap deal with Israel, the Al Arabiya television channel reported.
According to the television channel, the Palestinian radicals "may release a Russian hostage at the request of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin."
According to earlier reports, Hamas is holding two Russian women.
Hamas announced on November 22 that an agreement on a four-day humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip had been reached through the mediation of Qatar and Egypt. The agreement stipulates the release of 50 women and children under the age of 19 who are held in Gaza in exchange for the release of 150 women and children under the age of 19 from Israeli prisons.
A four-day ceasefire came into force in the Gaza Strip from 8:00 a.m. local time (5:00 a.m. GMT) on November 24.