MOSCOW, December 11. /TASS/. Several dozen Russian nationals and their relatives who requested evacuation have not yet left the Gaza Strip for unknown reasons, Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov told the Rossiya-24 TV channel.
"I would like to say that, by now, more than 1,000 Russian citizens and Palestinians, and members of their families, have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip. I won’t name the exact figure; it is being updated every hour, [but they] have already left the Gaza Strip and been taken to Russia. Unfortunately, several dozen Russian nationals and Palestinians, who are their closest relatives, have not yet left the Gaza Strip to date for reasons unknown to us. The most unpleasant scenarios can be imagined," the diplomat said.
"Under the conditions of renewed combat following a brief [humanitarian] pause, the mission to locate and get them out is becoming even more complicated. Nevertheless, we continue actively working on it," he added.
"From the very beginning of this conflict, of this situation, we have certainly supported the immediate release of all hostages held in Gaza and we are now ready to assist not only in the release of Russian citizens, but also of some other categories of Israeli citizens. This is in the practical sense, but politically we, of course, stand for the release of all the hostages," Viktorov added.
Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when militants from the Gaza-based Palestinian radical group Hamas staged a surprise incursion into 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. In response, Israel has declared a state of war readiness; announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians; and began delivering air strikes on the enclave and certain parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are underway in the West Bank as well.
According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, overall, since the beginning of the humanitarian operation, more than 1,000 people have been evacuated from the conflict zone with over 940 of them, including more than 420 children, already taken to Russia by the ministry’s aircraft.