MOSCOW, October 11. /TASS/. There is currently no need to evacuate Russian embassy workers from Israel but staff members are preparing for a potential evacuation, Russian Ambassador to Tel Aviv Anatoly Viktorov said.

"We are certainly ready to carry out an evacuation if the need arises," he noted during debates hosted by the Valdai Discussion Club.

The envoy added that he currently saw no need to evacuate embassy workers and staff members of other missions. Viktorov also said that all Russian embassy workers were "safe and sound."

Tensions in the Middle East flared up again after Hamas militants infiltrated Israel from the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian movement described its attack as a response to the actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Israel declared a state of readiness for war, announced a total blockade of Gaza and started carrying out strikes on the Palestinian enclave, as well as on certain areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank. Up to 1,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 5,000 have suffered wounds; in Israel, the death toll has passed 1,200 and more than 3,000 people have been wounded.