ANKARA, October 24. /TASS/. The silence of Western states has caused a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip on a scale that has never been seen before, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

"President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a phone call with President of Russia Vladimir Putin. During the call, the two leaders discussed the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, as well as the humanitarian crisis in the region," the Turkish presidential office told reporters. "President Erdogan stated that the silence of Western states has led to the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip reaching a never-before-seen scale."

The situation in the Middle East has escalated abruptly after an armed infiltration of HAMAS militant from the Gaza Strip into Israel. The HAMAS movement considers this attack a response to the actions of Israeli authorities towards the Al Aqsa Mosque at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Israel announced a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip and started carrying out strikes at the enclave and at certain areas of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes also take place in the West Bank.