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No platform for talks with Israel yet – Palestinian ambassador to Russia

Abdel Hafiz Nofal noted that it is first necessary to stop the war and help people

MOSCOW, October 14. /TASS/. There are no grounds for negotiations with Israel, Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal told TASS.

"What kind of negotiations can we talk about? First we have to stop the killing, the war, help the people, and then we can see if there are opportunities," he said, answering the question about the possibility of negotiations between the parties to the conflict.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when militants from the radical Palestinian Hamas movement staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem. Israel has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip as it has been delivering rocket attacks on Gaza as well as some districts in Lebanon and Syria.

According to the latest official data, more than 1,900 Palestinians have been killed since the renewed outbreak of violence, while over 7,700 others have suffered wounds. In Israel, over 1,500 people have lost their lives and roughly 4,000 have been wounded in clashes, including on the West Bank of the Jordan River.