BEIRUT, October 31. /TASS/. Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad emphasized the importance of concerted international efforts to help Palestinians in Gaza in a telephone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

"There is a need for combined international efforts in order to stop the crimes committed by Israel as well as to provide multifaceted assistance to the Palestinian people [in Gaza]," the state-run SANA news agency quoted the top diplomat as saying.

The Syrian foreign minister also warned of the danger of further escalation of the conflict and the worsening of the humanitarian situation in the enclave.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when Hamas militants 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 on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and has been delivering rocket attacks on Gaza as well as some districts in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.

On October 27, the IDF’s chief spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, announced the expansion of Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza.