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Netanyahu’s adviser visits Russia for contacts about Gaza hostages — PM’s office

According to the prime minister’s office, Netanyahu said this during a phone call with Oxana and Grigory Lobanov, the parents of Alexander Lobanov, who was murdered while being held hostage by Hamas

TEL AVIV, September 1. /TASS/. Roman Gofman, a military adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has visited Moscow to hold meetings on topics related to the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip, the prime minister’s office said.

According to the prime minister’s office, Netanyahu said this during a phone call with Oxana and Grigory Lobanov, the parents of Alexander Lobanov, who was murdered while being held hostage by Hamas. "During the conversation, it was revealed that the Prime Minister's Military Secretary, Maj.-Gen. Roman Gofman returned this morning from a visit to Moscow, the goal of which was to advance the hostages deal and during which he discussed Alexander Lobanov and the other hostages," it said.

The Israeli prime minister offered his condolences to Lobanov’ parents and " and apologized to the family, that the State of Israel did not succeed in returning Alexander and the other five hostages alive."

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday morning that six hostages had died in the Gaza Strip. Lovanov, who had Russian and Israeli citizenships, was among them. Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov extended his condolences to Lobanov’s family and the families of other hostages and stressed that Russian diplomats continue efforts to have another Russian hostage, Alexander Trufanov, released from captivity in Gaza.

According to IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari, the bodies of the six hostages were found in an underground tunnel near the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip late on August 31. He said that the six had apparently been murdered shortly Israeli troops reached the area. He said that the bodies had been found during fighting in the tunnel located one kilometer from another one, where another Israeli hostage had been saved several days before. After he was released, Israeli troops operating in the area were ordered to act with caution but they did not know that more hostages could be somewhere near, Hagari said.

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Palestine Israel

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