MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/. The Palestinian authorities are in favor of peace and are ready for negotiations with Israel, the Palestinian ambassador to Russia, Abdel Hafiz Nofal, has said.

"First, we are talking about a ceasefire that will allow aid [into the Gaza Strip]. If serious, constructive proposals for a settlement follow, the Palestinian authorities will be ready for negotiations," he told RTVI in an interview.

"The State of Palestine’s president, Mahmoud Abbas, is in favor of peace. He has been criticized for that. Palestine is ready for peace talks," he said.

Nofal blamed the exacerbation of the conflict on "the establishment of a radical government in Israel under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when militants from the radical Palestinian group Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Hamas described its operation as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel has declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and carried out air strikes on the Palestinian enclave, as well as some areas of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank.