Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, January 20, instructed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to work to free a Russian citizen still held by Hamas.
“I will ask you, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and colleagues from other ministries, to look into this issue and do everything to ensure that our citizens are free,” the Russian leader said when spoke to Mr. Lavrov during an operational meeting with permanent members. of the RF Security Council, his words were quoted by Interfax.
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will last 42 days, during which the movement will release 33 Israelis in exchange for Israel releasing 1,890 Palestinian prisoners. The list of Israeli hostages also includes Russian citizen Alexander Trufanov. It was clarified that he was taken hostage in October 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel.
On January 19, three Israeli women released in the Gaza Strip arrived safely in Israeli territory along with military personnel. Upon arriving at the meeting point, the women met their mothers waiting for them at the location. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed the transfer of the former hostages, emphasizing its intention to achieve the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza.
