UN, January 24. /TASS/. All talks on the future of the Gaza Strip without immediate ceasefire are senseless, with Western countries trying to avoid this ‘uncomfortable moment’, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at an open debate of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the Middle East.

"Without such a guarantee (of ceasefire - TASS), same as the UN's decision on creation of the State of Palestine being unconditionally fulfilled, all talks about tomorrow are not only premature, but pointless as well. The potential donors that could invest in the future reconstruction of Gaza, are perfectly aware of that," he said.

"The roguish logic of Western delegations is obvious. Having blocked the Council's all badly needed efforts to call for ceasefire, the US and its allies want to turn over this page that is extremely uncomfortable for it, which makes it accomplice of a battle against civilians in Gaza, as soon as possible," the minister added.

The situation in the Middle East escalated sharply on October 7 of last year after militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged surprise incursions from Gaza into borderline Israeli communities, killing residents of Israeli kibbutzim and taking more than 240 people as hostages, including children, women and the elderly. The radicals described the attack as a response to the aggressive actions of the Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel announced a complete blockade of Gaza and launched retaliatory strikes and a ground military operation against Hamas in the Palestinian enclave as well as strikes on parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes have also been reported in the West Bank.