MOSCOW, November 15. /TASS/. As many as 168 Russians evacuated from the Gaza Strip have been flown to their homeland, while more have crossed into Egypt through the Rafah border crossing, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a briefing.

"A total of 168 people who were evacuated from the Gaza Strip have arrived as of now - these are Russian citizens and members of their families. Many more have entered Egyptian territory from Gaza. So far we cannot give the exact number," the diplomat noted. "Those 168 are the people who arrived in the Russian Federation by plane, but as for those who crossed the checkpoint and who are now on the territory of Egypt, their number is sizably bigger. Further on, depending on the development of the situation, we will keep you updated," Zakharova added.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 after militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion on Israeli territory, killing many Israeli kibbutz residents living near the Gaza border and abducting more than 200 Israelis, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ aggressive actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria, as well as a ground operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.