Russian President's Special Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Egyptian Ambassador to Moscow Nazih Nagari have called for action at the international level to prevent the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
"In the course of the conversation, they discussed current issues in the Middle East, with a focus on the ongoing crisis in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone. The importance of taking early measures at the international level to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip was stressed," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on the results of the meeting.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack on Israel from Gaza and breached the border, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping about 240 others, according to Israeli authorities. The Palestinian movement called the attack a response to Israeli authorities' actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
In response, Israel imposed a complete blockade on Gaza and launched airstrikes against Gaza and parts of Lebanon and Syria before launching a ground operation in the enclave. At least 30,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed in the ongoing Israeli assault since October, according to Gazan officials.
In November 2023, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The ceasefire expired on December 1, 2023, after several extensions. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.