MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/. Moscow is extremely concerned about Israel’s plans to conduct an operation in the city of Rafah, where a million Palestinian lives hang in the balance, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a briefing.

"We are extremely alarmed by the statements from the Israeli side about the planned expansion of the military operation to the city of Rafah. Taking this dangerous course will lead to a catastrophic increase in the scope of humanitarian disaster. More than one million residents of the Gaza Strip, who fled the hostilities, will find themselves in the epicenter," the diplomat said.

According to Zakharova, it is necessary to make every effort to avoid this scenario. "Our common task is to stop the bloodshed as soon as possible and ensure conditions for the establishment of stable channels for humanitarian assistance to the enclave’s population," she went on to say. "Russia has repeatedly said that without restoring a clear political horizon for the Middle East settlement it will be impossible to achieve a lasting peace in the conflict zone," Zakharova stressed.

"After leaving behind the acute phase of the crisis, we consider it necessary to begin to shape the conditions for restarting the political dialogue between the Palestinians and Israelis, which should be aimed at a comprehensive solution of all disputed issues within the known international legal framework defined by the UN resolution and its Security Council. This negotiating process should result in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, coexisting in peace with Israel. The tragic events unfolding in the region show that there is no reasonable alternative to this approach," the spokeswoman summed up.

On February 7, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had been ordered to prepare for the start of fighting in Rafah on the Gaza Strip’s southern border with Egypt. Two days later, he instructed the IDF to prepare a plan to evacuate civilians and eliminate the remaining four battalions of fighters from Palestinian radical movement Hamas in the city. On the night of February 12, Arab media outlets reported that the IDF had launched massive strikes on the city of Rafah. According to the latest data from Al Mayadeen television, at least 100 people were killed in the bombing and more than 230 were injured.