Israel Threatens Russia Over Support For Hamas

The warning was transmitted through diplomatic channels.

Israel sent a warning to Russia through diplomatic channels because of Moscow's reaction to the Hamas attack, which Russian z-propagandists supported openly, and officials covertly, condemning the actions of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.

According to Kan, the expression of dissatisfaction was sent to Moscow a few days ago - shortly after Amir Weitman, a member of Israel's ruling Likud party, promised the Kremlin "retribution" for supporting the Hamas movement, which Western countries have unanimously designated as terrorist.

“Russia’s behavior and, in particular, statements condemning Israel do not correspond to the seriousness of the situation in which Israel finds itself, namely the state of war,” Kan quotes a message from Israeli diplomats to Moscow.

Indignation in Israel, which has not joined the anti-Russian sanctions, was caused, in particular, by statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who called the attack on Gaza “unacceptable,” citing the fact that two million people live there and not all of them, according to Putin, support Hamas.

Putin used the attack on Israel by Palestinian militants on October 7, which left more than 200 people hostage, for a new round of anti-American rhetoric, accusing Washington of trying to “monopolize” the Middle East settlement. “This is a clear example of the failure of the United States policy,” Putin said. Hamas, in turn, said it appreciates Putin's position on the issue of "continuing Zionist aggression and his opposition to the siege of Gaza."

Russia, unlike the United States and the EU, has not declared Hamas a terrorist organization and has maintained close relations with the movement that came to power in Palestine in 2006, recalls Dr. Hanna Notte, the director of the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS)

Hamas delegations, notes Notte, regularly visited Moscow to meet with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his deputy Sergei Bogdanov, and after the invasion of Ukraine and the collapse of relations with the West, Russia became closer to Iran, one of Hamas’s main sponsors.

In addition, over the past few years, Russian weapons, including anti-tank missiles and air defence systems, have been arriving in Palestine, most likely through Iran, Notte points out.