MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. Moscow is working together with Cairo on the issue of evacuating Russian citizens from the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on the sidelines of the round-table conference at TASS Russia-Turkey: the Role of Media in Strengthening Cooperation.
"We are now working on issues concerning Russian citizens and our compatriots. We stay in touch with partners, including Egypt, over evacuation measures," Zakharova said, while answering questions from Turkish journalists.
Earlier, Israeli ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben Zvi recalled that Gaza bordered Egypt in the south and explained that negotiations with Cairo on the possibility of evacuation of civilians and citizens of other countries from the Gaza Strip were underway.
The Egyptian news portal Al-Qahera-24 reported, citing security sources, that Egypt was discussing with the US plans for delivering aid to Gaza through the Rafah crossing, the only border checkpoint linking the exclave and Egypt. The crossing was suspended after heavy shelling by the Israeli army, which left two Palestinian staffers wounded.
Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, when Palestinian militants from the Hamas movement attacked Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Israel has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and carried out strikes on targets inside Lebanon and Syria. Hostilities are in progress on the West Bank.
Almost 1,200 Palestinians have been killed in clashes and strikes, while over 5,900 have suffered wounds. In Israel, more than 1,500 people have lost their lives and over 4,000 have been wounded.