WASHINGTON, September 22. /TASS/. The leaders of the Quad group of nations (QUAD, Australia, India, the United States and Japan) have spoken out against unilateral actions that hinder a two-state solution to the situation in the Middle East.

"Any unilateral actions that undermine the prospect of a two-state solution, including Israeli expansion of settlements and violent extremism on all sides, must end. We underscore the need to prevent the conflict from escalating and spilling over in the region," said a joint statement by the leaders, distributed by the White House press service following the summit held on Saturday in Wilmington, Delaware.

The leaders of QUAD stressed the need for a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held by the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, as well as an increase in the volume of humanitarian aid supplied to the Palestinian enclave. QUAD leaders called on "all parties to take every feasible step to protect the lives of civilians including aid workers," and encouraged other countries, including those in the Indo-Pacific, "to increase their support in order to address the dire humanitarian need."

QUAD leaders condemned "the ongoing attacks perpetrated by the Houthis and their supporters against international and commercial vessels transiting through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden."

The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated after the infiltration of Palestinian Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, accompanied by killings of residents of border settlements and hostage-taking. Hamas said the attack was in response to the Israeli authorities' actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Israel announced a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip and began strikes against the Palestinian enclave and parts of Lebanon and Syria.

On September 17 and 18, Lebanon saw a spate of explosions of communication devices. On the first day, a large number of pagers blew up almost simultaneously in different parts of the country. According to the Ministry of Health, 12 people, including 2 children, were killed, and 2,800 taken to hospitals with injuries. The next day, radios, phones, as well as devices powered by solar panels and lithium-ion batteries exploded in various parts of Lebanon. The second attack left 25 people dead and 608 injured.