MOSCOW, October 31. /TASS/. The Russian State Duma, or lower house of parliament, at its plenary session unanimously adopted an appeal to the UN in connection with the mass deaths of children and the difficult humanitarian situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone.

"In the conditions of the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East, the deputies of the Russian State Duma consider it fundamentally important and urgent to appeal to the United Nations, international parliamentary organizations, and parliaments of the countries of the world with a call to support the demand to the parties to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to immediately cease hostilities without preconditions and stop the indiscriminate use of lethal weapons leading to the death of civilians," the statement said.

In the appeal, the deputies express their condolences to the families and friends of the victims, as well as sympathy for all those wounded and injured as a result of the military actions of the warring parties. The lawmakers pointed out that the injustice is not limited to violence and killing of civilians, taking and holding hostages, but also bombing of peaceful residential areas, their blockade, creating obstacles for the delivery of emergency humanitarian aid and violent attempts to relocate large amounts of civilians under the real threat of their physical destruction.

"The State Duma deputies have to point out with deep regret that at present the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, international covenants on human rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child are being grossly violated in the Middle East, primarily with regard to minors. It is obvious that the peacekeeping, human rights and mediation activities of a number of United Nations bodies and specialized agencies, whose main purpose was to maintain peace and security in the world, have proved unsustainable and ineffective," the statement said.

Escalation of Palestinian-Israeli conflict

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when militants from the radical Palestinian Hamas movement 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. Clashes are underway in the West Bank of the Jordan River as well.