MOSCOW, October 16. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has no plans to discuss the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict with his US counterpart Joe Biden, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told reporters in response to a TASS question.

"No, [contacts with Biden] are not planned," he said.

Putin is scheduled to make five international phone calls today. He will speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when militants from the radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on 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 in the Old City of Jerusalem. Israel has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip as it has been delivering rocket attacks on Gaza as well as some districts in Lebanon and Syria.

According to the latest official data, more than 2,800 Palestinians have been killed since the renewed outbreak of violence, while over 10,900 others have suffered wounds. In Israel, over 1,500 people have lost their lives and roughly 4,000 have been wounded in clashes, including on the West Bank of the Jordan River.