MOSCOW, November 24. /TASS/. Nearly 660 Russians have been evacuated to Russia from the Gaza Strip, evacuation efforts continue, the Russian foreign ministry said.

"As many as 761 out of 965 compatriots who applied for assistance have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip. Of them, 657 have been taken to Russia by Russian emergencies ministry’ special flights," it said. "The evacuation efforts continue. We hail the assistance of the Egyptian, Israeli, and Palestinian authorities."

"Russian diplomatic missions in Cairo, Tel Aviv, and Ramallah, as well as relevant departments of the foreign and emergencies ministries and other agencies are doing their best to ensure the soonest and safe evacuation of our citizens from the conflict zone," the ministry stressed.

According to the ministry, another group of 103 Russian nationals and their family members who had been evacuated from the Gaza Strip arrived in Moscow on November 24. "As many as 104 people more crossed into Egypt via the Rafah checkpoint and have already taken off for Moscow," it added.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 after militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion on Israeli territory, killing many Israeli kibbutz residents living near the Gaza border and abducting more than 200 Israelis, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ aggressive actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria, as well as a ground operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.