MOSCOW, November 2. /TASS/. The number of victims in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone is growing at a catastrophic pace, and the situation is developing according to an extremely negative scenario, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

"The situation there (in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone - TASS) continues to develop according to a very negative scenario. Units of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have launched a ground operation in the Gaza Strip, advancing several kilometers deep into the territory," the diplomat said.

"The number of human casualties is increasing at a catastrophic rate." More than 8,000 Palestinians and 1,500 Israelis have been killed since the unprecedented confrontation began on October 7, she said. The number of wounded on both sides has neared 30,000. "These are preliminary figures. I think they will be adjusted. However, unfortunately, I am sure that they will not be adjusted in a downward direction," the diplomat lamented.

"Amid the escalation of hostilities, the scale of the humanitarian disaster is growing. When you hear the phrase 'humanitarian disaster in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone,' it is not just for a day or a month, [because the situation] is only just unfolding," the spokeswoman pointed out. "Unless radical steps are taken to de-escalate the situation, it [the humanitarian disaster] will have consequences for years and decades to come." According to her, about 1.5 mln people have been forced to leave their homes as a result of Israel’s ongoing air strikes on residential areas and civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, home to an estimated pre-conflict population of 2.3 mln Palestinians.

"The consequences of the tight blockade of the Gaza Strip are primarily affecting civilians. There is an acute shortage of fuel, food and medicines in the enclave. There is a lack of space in hospitals and limited access to clean water," Zakharova noted. "The demand for humanitarian aid from outside is extremely high and constantly growing. So far, it has not been possible to organize a stable channel for the delivery of humanitarian goods to the besieged enclave, including due to problems with the functioning of crossing points on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip." The diplomat noted that imported aid, as acknowledged by representatives of humanitarian organizations, is enough to cover less than 3% of the needs of Gazans.