Russia welcomes deal between Israel, Hamas for ‘humanitarian pause’

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Russia on Wednesday welcomed the deal between Israel and Hamas for a four-day “humanitarian pause” in the Gaza war.

"Moscow welcomes the agreement reached between Israel and Hamas on a four-day humanitarian pause. This is what Russia has been calling for since the beginning of the escalation of the conflict," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian media.

She also praised Qatar's role in achieving the agreement, saying Doha's efforts led to the practical implementation of the global call for de-escalation.

Early on Wednesday, the Qatari Foreign Ministry announced that an agreement on a four-day humanitarian pause was achieved between Israel and Hamas, with the starting time of the pause to be announced within 24 hours.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

Authorities in Gaza said Tuesday that the death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the besieged enclave since then has risen past 14,100 people – including over 5,800 children and 3,900 women. The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.