Hamas called on Russia on Saturday to intervene in what it describes as Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.

Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal spoke with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on Saturday evening, according to a statement released by the group.

Referring to the recent spate of attacks perpetrated by Palestinians against Israelis, Meshal told Bogdanov that the "uprising" is a result of the Israeli "policies of oppression" toward the Palestinian people, as well as attempts to "damage the Al-Aqsa Mosque." Meshal asked that Russia press Israel to stop the "aggression" against Palestinians, primarily in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

According to the Hamas statement, Bogdanov expressed discontent over Israeli conduct, and promised to take action against it, including measures in the international arena.

Senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar said in a sermon at the al-Katiba Mosque in Gaza on Saturday that "the intifada has begun and we don’t know when it will end."

He asserted that the "intifada has brought the Palestinian issue back to the center of attention."

"We all hope that it will defeat the occupation," he added. "The fight against the occupation is divine, and is written in the Koran. Anyone who thinks that the resistance against the occupation comes only from Gaza is deluded. The resistance comes for all of Palestine."