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Families of people with double citizenship who are held by Hamas arrive in Moscow

They will be received at the Russian Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. Relatives of Russian nationals held hostage in the Gaza Strip have arrived in Moscow and will be received at the Russian foreign ministry, a spokesman for the Israeli embassy in Russia told TASS.

"Family members of Israelis held hostage <…> by Hamas since October 7 arrived in Moscow today," the spokesman said, adding that these people are relatives of people with double citizenship held in captivity in the Gaza Strip.

"During their stay in Moscow, these families will meet with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, Israeli Ambassador Alexander Ben Zvi, as well as with the leaders of the Jewish community and Russian journalists," the spokesman said.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS earlier that relatives of hostages with Russian citizenship would be received at the Russian foreign ministry early next week.

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.

On Friday, Palestinian radicals released 13 Israelis, including four children. Israel, in turn, released from prisons 39 Palestinians (24 women and 15 teenagers), or three Palestinians for each Israeli nationals. Apart from that, according to the Israeli authorities, eleven foreigners were released outside the prisoner exchange deal.