Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov held a phone conversation with the leadership of Fatah and Hamas to discuss the inter-Palestinian meeting planned to take place in Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
"At the initiative of the Palestinian side, telephone conversations took place between Russian Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Fatah Central Committee Azzam al-Ahmed and Deputy Chairman of the Hamas Politburo Musa Abu Marzouk," the ministry said.
The main attention was paid to the problems of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with an emphasis on the growing humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip, the ministry said.
"There was also a thorough exchange of views on issues related to the preparation and holding of the inter-Palestinian meeting scheduled for the end of February - early March in Moscow at the site of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. At the same time, the Russian side confirmed its unwavering principled position in support of Palestinian unity on the political platform of the Palestine Liberation Organization," the ministry added.
On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.