• Moscow says Israel-Hamas truce and prisoner exchange mark ‘positive changes,’ calls for adherence to commitments brokered by Egypt, Qatar, US, and Türkiye
• 'Implementation of two-state solution will bring lasting peace to all peoples of Middle East,' says Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova

ISTANBUL

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday that Moscow welcomes the “positive developments” in the Gaza Strip following the implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, including troop withdrawals and prisoner exchanges.

“We are pleased to note that there have been positive changes in the development of the situation in the Gaza Strip, associated with the successful start of the implementation of the agreement between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire and the exchange of detainees,” Zakharova said at a briefing in Moscow.

She noted that the Israeli army withdrew to agreed-upon lines, Hamas returned all surviving Israeli hostages, and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners were released.

Russia hopes that the agreements reached through the mediation of Egypt, Qatar, the United States, and Türkiye “will be strictly and fully observed,” she said, emphasizing the need to ensure humanitarian aid, facilitate the return of displaced persons, and rebuild Gaza’s destroyed civilian infrastructure.

Zakharova said Moscow has "consistently advocated for a cessation of hostilities and a political-diplomatic settlement" since the beginning of the Gaza crisis. However, she added that Western countries have blocked Russia's draft UN Security Council resolutions.

She stressed that Russia will continue coordination with regional partners “to achieve long-term stabilization” in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone and the Middle East at large.

The spokesperson said the ultimate goal should be a “comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue” based on international law and relevant UN resolutions. “The implementation of the two-state solution will bring lasting peace to all peoples of the Middle East,” she said.