MOSCOW, February 16. /TASS/. The current situation around Rafah is of concern to Moscow, and Russia is maintaining ties with all parties involved, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov told TASS.

"It is a matter of concern," he said when asked about the situation around Rafah. "We are in contact and continue to actively interact with all parties involved. We are holding additional communication both with Hamas representatives and with our Israeli colleagues."

On February 7, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the IDF had been ordered to prepare for the start of fighting in Rafah on the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt. Two days later, he instructed the IDF to prepare a plan to evacuate civilians and eliminate the remaining four Hamas battalions in the city.

The situation in the Middle East escalated sharply after the surprise incursion by Gaza Strip-based militants of radical Palestinian movement Hamas into Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, accompanied by the killing of residents of border settlements and hostage-taking. In response, Israel declared a complete blockade of Gaza and began strikes against the Strip and parts of Lebanon and Syria before launching a ground operation in the enclave. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.