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Abbas calls for respite from hostilities — Palestinian ambassador to Russia

The Palestinian leader does not rule out negotiations

MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has called for at least a brief break in the hostilities and he does not rule out negotiations, Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal told TASS.

"I can say that Mahmoud Abbas has confirmed that the war has to be stopped at least for a while in order to open roads for humanitarian aid. And then it may be possible to go to talks if everything is stopped well," he said.

The diplomat claimed that "the Israelis are refusing" to open the Rafah crossing on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

"They have been putting obstacles so far to energy supplies from Egypt, and that is crucial for hospitals and people. They have been refusing until now. The war must be stopped so that it could be normal," he said.

Tensions flared up in the Middle East after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip attacked Israeli territory on October 7, when many Israelis living in the settlements near the border were killed and more than 200 people, including children, women and the elderly, were taken hostage. Hamas views its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ steps against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.