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Middle East conflict

Russia ready to help evacuate CIS countries’ citizens from Gaza — emergencies minister

The evacuation of Russian citizens trapped in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone in the Gaza Strip has been arranged by Russia’s Emergencies Ministry and diplomats

MOSCOW, November 14. /TASS/. Russia is ready to assist the evacuation of citizens of the CIS countries who wish to leave the Gaza Strip, Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov has told TASS.

"We have information that some citizens of the former Soviet Union wanted to cross the border [at the Rafah checkpoint] together with Russian citizens. We do not refuse anyone. Of course, we will pick them up and bring them back," he said.

The evacuation of Russian citizens trapped in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone in the Gaza Strip has been arranged by Russia’s Emergencies Ministry and diplomats. The first group of 70 Russian citizens crossed the border at the Rafah checkpoint into Egypt on November 12. A total of 169 Russian citizens crossed the checkpoint over the past two days. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier, more than 1,000 people have applied for evacuation from the Gaza Strip, among them there are Russian citizens, members of the Russian diaspora and 300 minors. On Monday, a special Ilyushin-76 plane of the Russian Emergencies Ministry carrying 70 Russian citizens landed in Moscow.

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Foreign policy CIS

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