Palestinian group Hamas’ top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, gestures as he speaks during his visit at Ain el Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon, Lebanon September 6, 2020. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

JNS.org – Hamas political bureau chairman Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Moscow on Saturday together with a senior delegation from the terror organization for talks with Russian officials.

The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen television channel, based in Beirut, cited a Hamas spokesperson saying that Haniyeh “has arrived in Moscow on a visit during which he wants to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and a number of Russian leaders and officials.”

The Hamas delegation includes Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy head of Hamas’s political bureau who is responsible for orchestrating terrorism in the West Bank, as well as senior Hamas politburo members Moussa Abu Marzouk and Maher Salah.

“The Russian Foreign Ministry has requested that this visit last a few days. The purpose is to discuss the future of bilateral relations in order to aid the Palestinian cause,” the Hamas spokesperson added.

In May, Abu Marzouk, who is head of Hamas’ “International Relations Office,” visited Russia to discuss a number of issues.