A Hamas delegation, led by the head of the organization’s political bureau Mousa Abu Marzouq, landed in Moscow on Thursday evening. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that the delegation landed in Russia and referred to Hamas as a “Palestinian movement”. Earlier it was reported that Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, visited Qatar, where he met with senior Hamas officials and discussed with them the issue of the hostages being held by the organization. Officials in Israel responded to the visit of the Hamas delegation in Russia and said, "Hamas is a terrorist organization which is worse than ISIS. The hands of senior Hamas officials are covered in the blood of over 1,400 Israelis who were slaughtered, murdered, executed and burned, and they are responsible for the abduction of over 220 Israelis, including babies, children, women and the elderly." "Israel sees the invitation of senior Hamas officials to Moscow as an obscene step that gives support to terrorism and legitimizes the atrocities of Hamas terrorists. We call on the Russian government to expel Hamas terrorists immediately." Related articles: Putin signs law to strengthen cooperation with Iran Putin announces ceasefire for Easter Russia seeks to strengthen ties with Iran Putin hosts captivity survivor Sasha Troufanov, thanks Hamas On Wednesday, the office of Russia's Attorney General announced that it was decided not to define Hamas as a terrorist organization and said that "there is no information about Hamas actions that have received legal validity."
