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Middle East conflict

Russian diplomat reveals number of Russian citizens waiting to be evacuated from Gaza

According to Aliya Zaripova, the exact number of Russian citizens still in Gaza is quite difficult to determine

CAIRO, November 24. /TASS/. Nearly 100 to 150 Russian citizens are currently waiting to be evacuated from the Gaza Strip, Aliya Zaripova, spokeswoman for the Russian mission to the Palestinian Authority, told TASS.

"About 100-150 Russians and their relatives are now on the territory of the Palestinian enclave, waiting to be evacuated," Zaripova said. However, according to her, the exact number of Russian citizens still in Gaza is quite difficult to determine.

The spokeswoman explained that there are about 1,200 Russian citizens on the consular register, however, "not all of them have registered their children yet, some may have come to Gaza at the time of the sharp escalation of tensions and stayed in the enclave, while others, on the contrary, left the enclave at that time and could not return to Gaza."

Earlier, it was reported that a total of more than 900 Russians had asked for help in evacuating from the Gaza Strip. On November 24, Roman Okhotenko, director of the Russian Emergencies Ministry's information policy department, said that "over the past 24 hours, 101 of our compatriots, [including] their family members, have crossed the Gaza border through the Rafah checkpoint. In total, more than 750 people have been evacuated from the conflict zone." He also pointed out that a total of more than 650 people, including 300 children, have been brought to Russia since the beginning of the operation.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank.

On November 24, at 7:00 a.m. local time (5:00 a.m. GMT), a four-day ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel came into effect in Gaza.

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