MOSCOW, November 9. /TASS/. Mikhail Bogdanov, Russian special presidential envoy for the Middle East and Africa and deputy foreign minister, has discussed ways to accelerate the process of evacuating Russian nationals from Gaza with Israeli Ambassador to Moscow Alexander Ben Zvi.
"The parties held a frank conversation, discussing the armed confrontation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict zone. Special attention was paid to the effectiveness of consultations aimed at promptly resolving pressing humanitarian issues, including unblocking the process of safely removing Russian citizens from the Gaza Strip to Egypt through the Rafah Border Crossing, as well as releasing the hostages who are being held by Hamas, namely those who hold Russian passports," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that about 300 underage Russian citizens were on the waiting list for evacuation from Gaza. The diplomat added that Moscow had completed all preparations for the evacuation of Russians and the nationals of former Soviet countries who had requested Russia’s assistance. The Israeli envoy, in turn, told TASS that the approval of Russian evacuation lists could take up to two weeks.
Tensions in the Middle East flared up again after Hamas militants infiltrated Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7. The Palestinian movement described its attack as a response to the actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Israel announced a total blockade of Gaza and started carrying out strikes on the Palestinian enclave, as well as on certain areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank. On October 27, Israeli Army Spokesperson Daniel Hagari announced the expansion of ground operations in Gaza.