By Al-Fassel | 2023-11-05

Hamas officials have been seen in Moscow and Tehran in recent weeks as the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza rages on, making it clear that the two capitals have kept their doors open to the Palestinian militant group.

Hamas representative Moussa Abu Marzouk was in Moscow October 26 for talks with Russian diplomats and Iran's deputy foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani, Russian and Iranian media reported.

The visit was not announced, and was first reported by Russia's state-run RIA Novosti. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova later confirmed the report, without providing any details.

According to Hamas, which published a photo from the meeting, Russia's deputy minister of foreign affairs and special representative for the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov hosted the meeting.

The talks highlighted Russia's efforts to insert itself into the Israel-Hamas war as a mediator, even though Moscow is heavily mired in its own war in Ukraine.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also used the occasion to demand the release of eight Israeli-Russian hostages held in Gaza, RIA Novosti news agency reported.

"We are looking for those people... It is hard, but we are looking," Abu Marzouk said. "And when we find them, we will let them go. We are very attentive to this list and will process it carefully because we consider Russia to be a close friend."

In a statement, Hamas said it appreciated Russian President Vladimir Putin's position and "the efforts of active Russian diplomacy," the BBC reported.

In his meeting with Kani, Abu Marzouk said he appreciated Iran's support, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported.

'Support of terrorism'

Israel slammed the Kremlin's decision to invite Hamas representatives to Moscow in a rare public rebuke of Russia.

"Israel condemns the invitation of senior Hamas officials to Moscow, which is an act of support of terrorism, and legitimizes the atrocities of Hamas terrorists," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat said on X (formerly Twitter).

Russia and Iran are long-time supporters of Hamas, which many countries have designated a "terrorist organization."

By steadily supporting Hamas since 2006, "Russia provides Hamas with what terrorists most covet: the legitimating effect of recognition," according to the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Moscow's door has remained open for Hamas officials, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Bogdanov on March 2 hosting the group's political leader Ismail Haniyeh and his delegation in Moscow.

Even after the October 7 attack, in which Hamas stormed Israel from Gaza, killing more than 1,400 and taking more than 200 hostage, the Kremlin has made it clear it will not sever ties with Hamas.

"In order to conduct any serious negotiations and take serious actions, contacts are necessary," Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov said during an October 17 press conference, Gazeta.ru reported.

For Moscow, the war in Gaza "is an opportunity to pitch itself ... as a diplomatic partner" in a region it considers "strategically important," the Carnegie Endowment said.

Iran's lethal supplies

Tehran funnels roughly $100 million a year to Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, per a 2020 US State Department report.

Haniyeh said last year that Hamas received $70 million in military assistance from Iran.

Islamic Jihad chief Ziad Nakhaleh gave a higher figure during an April 17 interview, saying Hamas alone receives around $150 million annually from Iran.

Iran also has been supplying Moscow with hundreds of Shahed exploding drones that the Russian military has used to target civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

And it has supplied Iranian drone technology to Russia in exchange for advanced fighter jets and other types of weapons.

Tehran 'chief benefactor'

Tehran also has opened its doors to Hamas officials on several occasions.

On October 26 -- the same day Hamas was in Moscow for talks -- a delegation from Thailand held direct talks with Hamas in Tehran over the fate of 23 Thai nationals taken hostage in the October 7 attack.

Areepen Uttarasin, who led the three-person team, said they held a two-hour meeting with Hamas officials in Iran but were unable to obtain a release date.

In an earlier visit to Tehran, on June 19 and 20, Haniyeh updated Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other officials on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank.

On June 19, Islamic Jihad's Nakhaleh also met with Raisi, following a meeting earlier in the week with Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.

"It is no coincidence the leaders of two Palestinian terrorist organizations are concurrently in Tehran meeting with their chief benefactor," said research analyst Joe Truzman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Long War Journal.

"While Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian factions play a significant role in the more than two-year armed West Bank uprising, Iranian support is ultimately the most critical contributor to the violence," he said.