A Russian commentator has astonishingly claimed Britain may have “overseen” the massacre carried out by Hamas in Israel earlier this month.
Ruslan Kurbanov appeared on Russia’s state TV as the war between the terror group and Tel Aviv continues to rage.
Speaking about the unprecedented attack, he claimed: “I am not ruling out that the whole Hamas attack was overseen over a very long period and very subtly by British intelligence agencies which, through their connections in Iran, encouraged Iran to pump up and prepare Hamas and encouraged them to attack Israel.”
The UK has proscribed Hamas as a terror organisation and immediately condemned the October 7 massacre.
Unlike Russia, Britain is not a close ally of Iran, and has issued a number of sanctions against the theocratic nation over the years.
Mr Kurbanov bizarrely went on to claim why he thinks the UK would collaborate with Hamas, saying: “Why do the British need this? In order to dislodge the US from the region and seize control of these processes. And we see that the British are now banking more on a surge by the Islamic world.”
Russia specialist and journalist Francis Scarr described the commentator’s remarks as “absolutely wild”.
Upon sharing the clip on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Scarr said: “This is absolutely wild from commentator Ruslan Kurbanov, even by Russian state TV’s usual standards.”
Mr Kurbanov isn’t the only person in Russia trying to place the blame on Western countries for the violence in the Middle East.
On Wednesday, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council and former President Dmitry Medvedev claimed the responsibility for the deadly strike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in central Gaza City lies with the US.
He claimed: “The monstrous strike on a hospital in the Gaza Strip is undoubtedly a war crime. And the final responsibility for it lies with those who cynically profit from wars in different countries and on different continents.
“Those who mindlessly hand out colossal money for weapons, loading their military-industrial complex. Those who deceitfully broadcast about their global mission to protect democratic values. The United States of America.”
Palestinian and Israeli authorities have blamed each other for the attack on the hospital, which was offering shelter to hundreds of people displaced by the war.
Early US intelligence believes the strike may have been caused by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which has denied any responsibility.
More than 10 days after the attack on Israel, Russia continues not to condemn Hamas for its multipronged attack which killed more than 1,400 people and resulted in the kidnapping of around 200 more.
In a UN resolution submitted by Moscow and already rejected by the Security Council, Russia – which has been accused multiple times since February 2022 of launching attacks on non-military targets in Ukraine – condemned violence and terrorism against civilians but made no mention of Hamas.
