Moskow, MINA — Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said Monday that while the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners marks a positive development, it will not bring lasting peace unless a sovereign Palestinian state is established in accordance with United Nations resolutions.
“Releasing Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners is a good thing, of course, but it won’t solve anything,” Medvedev wrote on his Telegram channel. “Until a full-fledged Palestinian state is established in line with the well-known UN resolutions, nothing will change. The war will continue. Everyone understands this.”
On Monday, Hamas released 20 Israeli hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. The Palestinian group also announced plans to hand over the remains of four Israeli captives.
The exchange is part of a broader plan proposed by US President Donald Trump on September 29, which aims to establish a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, facilitate the release of all hostages and prisoners, and ensure the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave. The first phase of the deal took effect on Friday.
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The plan’s second phase calls for the creation of a new administrative body in Gaza excluding Hamas, the deployment of a multinational peacekeeping force, and the complete disarmament of armed factions.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed more than 67,800 Palestinians in Gaza, the majority of them women and children, leaving the territory devastated and largely uninhabitable.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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