- Hamas sent a message of appreciation to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- The Kremlin said this week that Putin wants to act as a mediator in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, has commended Russian President Vladimir Putin for his position on the conflict with Israel.
The group, which launched a series of attacks on Israel on October 7, thanked Putin for "Russia's tireless efforts" against Israeli "aggression", per a CNN report.
"We appreciate Russian President Vladimir Putin's position regarding the ongoing Zionist aggression against our people and his rejection of the Gaza siege," Hamas said in a statement on their Telegram channel.
Putin said this week he was willing to mediate the Israeli-Hamas war, claiming Russia could "make a contribution to the peace process."
He called for both Israel and Hamas to "minimize or reduce to zero" civilian casualties.
Russia itself is being investigated by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, including the targeting of civilians and child abduction, following Putin's decision to invade Ukraine last year.
The offer to act as a peace broker was reiterated later in the week by Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, who said Russia would "keep making efforts and play our role in terms of providing assistance to seek ways to a settlement."
Russia's envoy to the UN has also circulated a Security Council calling for a ceasefire, but was criticized for failing to directly name Hamas, Reuters reported.
Analysts have warned that Putin's offer is unlikely to be sincere, telling Insider that Russia would have much to gain by prolonging the Israeli-Hamas conflict. It would both distract leaders from Ukraine and boost oil prices, one of Russia's biggest sources of revenue.
Although Putin has maintained relations with Israel, he's also been strengthening ties with Iran, which funds Hamas.
The Russian president said earlier this month "we have very good relations with Iran, and we will enhance them in every possible way," in comments reported by The Jerusalem Post.
Russia officials have declined to blame Hamas for the outbreak of conflict. Unlike most world leaders, Putin did not call Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to offer his condolences following the terror attacks, The Wall Street Journal reported.
"Whose ally is Israel? The United States of America," one Russian official and member of the defense committee, Andrei Gurulev, posted on Telegram, per the Journal. "Whose ally is Iran and its surrounding Muslim world? Ours."