MOSCOW, October 9. /TASS/. Russia is ready to help its numerous compatriots living in Israel evacuate from that country, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after talks with Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

"A huge number of our compatriots live in Israel. We are concerned about their fate in the current situation and are doing everything to find out if there are people among them who need help. We will be ready to evacuate those who wish to go to Russia," he said.

Israel came under missile attack from the Gaza Strip on the morning of October 7. Simultaneously, several groups of Palestinian militants from the Hamas movement infiltrated the Jewish state. The Israeli authorities approved a previously announced decision to put the country in a "state of war." The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced they was launching Operation Iron Swords in retaliation for the attack launched from the Palestinian exclave. Hamas Politburo Head Ismail Haniyeh described the Palestinian operation as a response to aggressive actions by the Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant authorized the callup of reservists and ordered that "the special security situation" be expanded nationwide. According to the latest data, about 500 Palestinians have been killed and another 2,700 wounded. In Israel, more than 700 people have been killed and more than 2,200 wounded.