Russian Presidential Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov held discussions with Saudi Ambassador to Moscow Abdel Rahman bin Suleiman Al-Ahmad on the current situation in the Gaza Strip. This meeting followed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's discussions with counterparts from the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on November 21, as reported by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
"During the discussion of the Middle East agenda, particular focus was placed on the issues related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the situation in the Gaza Strip. This discussion took into account the outcomes of the meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and several foreign ministers from the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The meeting, led by Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, took place on November 21 in Moscow," the foreign ministry reported.
The meeting took place at the request of the Saudi ambassador, and discussions revolved around current issues regarding the enhancement of comprehensive Russian-Saudi cooperation. This encompassed considerations of the upcoming schedule for relevant bilateral engagements, as stated by Smolenskaya Square.
The situation in the Gaza Strip
Earlier, the Hamas movement reported that it had reached an agreement with Israel, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, for a four-day humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip.
In turn, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the government approved a plan to return at least 50 hostages and implement a humanitarian pause for four days. After its completion, the Israeli military will resume operations in the enclave.
The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated after the infiltration of fighters from the Palestinian movement Hamas into Israel on October 7. Hamas referred to the attack as a response to Israeli actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Israel declared a complete blockade of Gaza and launched retaliatory strikes on the Strip, as well as parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also occurring in the West Bank.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Federation Council
Based on materials from TASS