Netanyahu and Putin hold 50-minute phone call over situation in Middle East

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke for 50 minutes on the phone about the situation in the Middle East.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office reported that Netanyahu “expressed his dissatisfaction” with Russian representatives’ public comments regarding Israel and sharply criticized the “dangerous cooperation” between Russia and Iran. Netanyahu said that “any country that had been struck with a criminal terrorist assault such as Israel experienced would have reacted with no less force than Israel is using.” He also thanked Moscow for its efforts to free a dual Israeli-Russian citizen held captive in the Gaza Strip and called for pressure on the Red Cross to allow access to hostages and deliver medicine to them.

The Kremlin’s statement on the conversation between Putin and Netanyahu made no mention of this. According to the Russian side, the conversation centered on the “catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.”

“Vladimir Putin reaffirmed the unwavering position of not-acceptance and condemnation of terrorism in all its forms. At the same time, it is extremely important that counter-terrorism efforts do not lead to such severe consequences for the civilian population. The Russian side is ready to provide all possible assistance in alleviating the suffering of civilians and de-escalating the conflict,” stated the Kremlin’s press service.

According to Israeli publication Yedioth Ahronoth, the last time Netanyahu and Putin spoke was on October 17. In that conversation, Netanyahu reportedly told Putin that Israel “will not stop until it destroys the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas.” The publication notes there is significant tension between the Israeli and Russian governments, in part because Moscow did not firmly condemn Hamas’s October 7 attack and hosted a delegation from the terrorist organization.