MOSCOW, October 18. /TASS/. Moscow is appalled by the strike on Al-Ahli hospital in the Gaza Strip, and expresses its sincere condolences to the families of the victims, the people and government of Palestine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Moscow is deeply shocked. We express our deep condolences to the families of the victims and the people and government of Palestine," the statement reads.

"We again urge the conflicting sides to de-escalate hostilities without delay and to respect international humanitarian law," according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. "We reaffirm Russia’s position of principle on the unacceptability of violence against civilians and strikes on medical facilities or any other civilian infrastructure facilities."

The statement from the ministry continued by saying: "We emphasize that it is necessary to consolidate international efforts towards an immediate ceasefire and to open humanitarian corridors in order to give badly needed support to people in Gaza, including deliveries of food, medicines and fuel, to evacuate everyone who wants to leave, and to prevent the looming humanitarian disaster."

The Russian Foreign Ministry also stated that any attempts to politicize this tragedy would be inappropriate and immoral.

"We point out that attempts to politicize this issue are unacceptable and irresponsible," the statement reads. "We believe that the discussion of the relevant initiatives at the UN Security Council must above all take into account the interests of the people affected by the conflict."

The statement from the ministry also reiterated its advice "for Russian citizens to refrain from travelling to Israel and the Palestinian territories."

Arab media outlets reported on October 17 that Israeli airstrikes on the central part of Gaza City had hit a hospital. The attack killed over 500 people and left hundreds wounded, according to the Palestinian radical group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

However, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied responsibility, saying in a statement that the powerful explosion in the Gaza City hospital had resulted from a misfired rocket launched from within the Palestinian enclave. The IDF blamed the Islamic Jihad group for the rocket strike on the hospital.

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 and has been delivering rocket attacks on Gaza as well as some districts in Lebanon and Syria.

According to the latest official data, more than 3,500 Palestinians have been killed since the renewed outbreak of violence, while over 13,700 others have sustained wounds. In Israel, over 1,500 people have lost their lives and over 4,200 have been wounded in clashes, including on the West Bank of the Jordan River.