MOSCOW, November 15. /TASS/. Israel should not "buy security" by refusing to create a Palestinian state and reducing the territory intended for it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with RT.

"Israel should not buy security by refusing to create a Palestinian state and reducing the territory intended for a Palestinian state," the top Russian diplomat pointed out. He noted that this is the position Russia is trying to convey to Israel and added that Moscow has never underestimated the importance of security for Israel.

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, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 200 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. 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 has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank.