MOSCOW, November 29. /TASS/. Thirteen-year-old Gali Tarashansky, daughter of a Russian citizen, has been included in the list of Hamas’ hostages to be exchanged with Israel today for Palestinian prisoners, the Russian Foreign Ministry told TASS.
"Thirteen-year-old Gali Tarashansky, the daughter of a Russian citizen, was included in today's exchange list. Russian diplomats agreed on her release with Hamas representatives. We expect the agreements to be fulfilled," the Foreign Ministry said.
On November 26, radical Palestinian movement Hamas released Russian citizen Ron Krivoy, who had not been included in the exchange list with Israel, handing him over to representatives of the Red Cross. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that the release of the Russian citizen took place thanks to the efforts of Russian diplomats who were in direct contact with Hamas.
On November 22, Hamas announced that it had reached, with assistance from mediators Egypt and Qatar, an agreement with Israel for a four-day humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. The agreement calls for the release of 50 women, children and teenagers under the age of 19 held in the Hamas-controlled enclave in exchange for 150 women, children and teenagers under the age of 19 currently held in Israeli prisons.
Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 200 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank.