Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Senegalese counterpart, Macky Sall, discussed the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and economic cooperation between the countries during a phone conversation on Monday, the Kremlin said.
"In continuation of the contacts held within the framework of the second Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg, current issues of Russian-Senegalese cooperation, including prospects for the further development of trade, economic and investment ties, were discussed," the Kremlin said in a statement.
Putin and Sall also shared views about the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and "the difficult humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip."
On October 7, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, breaching the border and killing and taking captives in nearby Israeli military sites and communities. The movement said its operation, Al-Aqsa Flood, was in response to Israeli provocations and occupation of Palestinian territories.
Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2 million people, cutting off supplies of water, food and fuel. On October 27, Israel launched a large-scale ground incursion into Gaza, ostensibly to eliminate Hamas fighters and rescue hostages.
The escalation of the conflict has resulted in the deaths of some 1,400 people in Israel and more than 11,200, including at least 4,600 children, in Gaza, and has raised the risk of a wider regional conflagration.