MOSCOW, November 28. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have discussed a possible solution to the crisis in the Middle East and addressed problems related to Russia’s food and fertilizer supplies to global markets, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) global forum, which convened in Cascais, Portugal.

"The sides held an exchange of opinions on the current situation in the Middle East, first of all in the occupied Palestinian territories and in Lebanon, and on prospects for finding a solution to the current unprecedented crisis," the ministry said.

Among other themes discussed at the meeting were "issues related to the task of normalizing supplies of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers to global markets," as part of the effort to implement the Russia-UN memorandum of understanding on the subject.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 250 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as retaliation for the aggressive actions taken by Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians before the crisis, launching air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria before starting a ground operation in the Palestinian enclave. Hostilities in Gaza continue to this day.