Zelenskyy accuses Russia of backing Hamas' violent assault on Israel
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Ukrainian intelligence services are aware that Russia supports the operations of the Hamas militant group against Israel, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with France 2 on Oct. 9.
He said he was convinced that Russia supports Hamas operations in one way or another.
"It is obvious to our special services," Zelenskyy said.
“We have every reason to believe that Russia is facilitating certain terrorist operations.”
Zelenskyy also said that this was not the first time that Russia has supported terrorists.
“It did this in Syria, it did this in Ukraine. It seeks to sow instability around the world,” the Ukrainian president said.
Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) previously reported that the Russian authorities were aware of Hamas militants' preparations for an attack on Israel. Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence is also convinced that Moscow provided Western weapons to the militants that the Russians had captured in the war against Ukraine.
ISW analysts noted in their report that Russia will try to use the Hamas attack to advance its information operations aimed at reducing Western support and attention to the war in Ukraine.
HUR said on Oct. 9 that Russia's intelligence services are conducting a campaign to discredit Ukraine in the Middle East and want to use the Islamist Hamas movement's attack on Israel for a large-scale provocation.
War in Israel – What is known
Large-scale hostilities in Israel began on Oct. 7. From the early morning, Hamas repeatedly targeted the country with thousands of rockets and missiles. Armed Palestinian militants then invaded southern Israel, killing people and taking hostages.
As a result, over 1,000 people have lost their lives in Israel. Over 100 are thought to have been taken hostage by Palestinian militants, and video evidence shows some of the hostages have since been murdered.
It was revealed on Oct. 8 that Palestinian militants on Oct. 7 may have killed around 260 people at an electronic music festival near the Kibbutz Re’im, 30 kilometers from the Gaza Strip. Efforts are currently underway to identify the bodies of the murdered festival goers.
In response to the Hamas attack, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Swords of Iron, striking the Gaza Strip. During the night of Oct. 8, Israel announced the restoration of control over the majority of the populated areas that had been penetrated by Palestinian militants.
Israel’s Cabinet declared a state of war for the first time since 1973, and the country’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has warned that the war would be long and challenging.
On Oct. 9, the Israeli military managed to regain control of all the towns on the border with the Gaza Strip, but Hamas militants may still be there. The Israeli army launched an offensive.
Later, on Oct. 9, the Israeli Defense Forces announced that they were completing the clearing of the south of the country of Hamas units.
So far, two Ukrainian women have been reported dead. Reports that three more Ukrainian citizens have been killed in the Gaza Strip are being verified.
On Oct. 9, the Israeli defense minister ordered a siege of the Gaza Strip. In his address to the nation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Hamas militants would be destroyed after their "atrocities," kidnappings, and murders of children and women. Hamas and other enemies of Israel "will pay a price they will remember for decades to come," Netanyahu stressed.
On Oct. 10, the Israeli Defense Forces announced that they had fully regained control of the border with the Gaza Strip and advised its residents to leave for Egypt.
As of Oct. 10, more than 1,000 people are reported to have been killed and more than 3,000 injured in the Hamas attack in Israel.
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