Hamas says Russia "our closest friend"

LTC Eugene Chu No Surprises There!

LTC Eugene Chu
"Russia is "our closest friend," a Hamas spokesman has said, as the possibility of wider Israeli ground operations looms over efforts to safely return hostages who have been held in the Gaza Strip for more than three weeks.

Hamas has received a list of dual Russian citizens who could be held among other hostages in Gaza, senior Hamas member Mousa Abu Marzouk told the Russian state-backed RIA Novosti news agency. The Palestinian militant group is trying to locate eight Russian hostages and is prepared to release them, he said.

"From the Russian side, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we received a list of citizens who have dual citizenship," Marzouk said. "We are very attentive to this list and will process it carefully, because we look at Russia as our closest friend," he said, according to RIA."...