Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, pictured, on Wednesday held a rare phone conversation with Hamas. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a rare phone conversation on Wednesday, during which they discussed “common relations” and the ongoing final-status negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, The Associated Press reported.

In what was the first high-level conversation between Russia and Hamas in months, the leaders also discussed the Israel-Egyptian naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. Lavrov in a statement called for the “quick lifting” of the blockade, which the United Nations has deemed to be legal.

A terror group with the stated mission of destroying Israel, Hamas has governed Gaza since 2007.