Mikhail Bogdanov said the man’s release was negotiated outside of the Hamas-Israel deal
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov has held a meeting with the family of a released Russian national who had been held captive by Palestinian militants in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
As reported by the ministry’s Telegram channel, Bogdanov, who serves as the Russian president’s special representative for the Middle East and Africa, met on Monday with the brother and sister of the former hostage, Ronny Krivoy, at the Foreign Ministry in Moscow.
Krivoy was released from captivity in Gaza the day before in what the deputy foreign minister described as a deal “outside the boundaries” of the main Israel-Hamas prisoner release agreement.
“He was not exchanged for anyone,” Bogdanov stressed.
During their sit-down, the brother and sister – Igor and Yulia Krivoy – expressed their deep gratitude to the Russian Foreign Ministry and its diplomats for securing the release of their brother.
“There was help from all sides – from Russia, from Israel. I’m glad that it turned out that my brother was released from captivity. We must wait for the others to come out so that no one is forgotten,” Igor Krivoy said.
Bogdanov, in turn, conveyed his best wishes to Ronny Krivoy and gave assurances that Russian diplomats will continue to work tirelessly to cooperate with all parties of the conflict and secure the quick release of all Russian citizens being held in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces have agreed on a four-day ceasefire which officially began on Friday. The deal was intended to facilitate the release of hostages being held in the Palestinian enclave.
So far, Hamas has released 58 of around 240 hostages seized by its militants and other Palestinian armed groups during their surprise October 7 attack on Israel. In exchange, Israel has freed 117 Palestinian women and children from prisons.
In a statement on Sunday, Hamas said it was seeking to extend the truce “through serious efforts to increase the number of those released from imprisonment.” A source close to the movement told AFP that Hamas was willing to prolong the ceasefire by “two to four days.”
“The resistance believes it is possible to ensure the release of 20 to 40 Israeli prisoners,” the official said.
On Monday, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that an agreement had been reached to extend the truce in Gaza for two more days.
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