MOSCOW, Nov 2 Visit of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's trip to Russia remains on the agenda, but due to the situation in the Middle East, it is difficult to talk about exact dates, said press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov.
«We said that such a visit is on the agenda. But now it is difficult talk about the exact date, for obvious reasons. It will be further agreed upon,» Peskov told reporters in response to a question about whether the Palestinian leader's visit to Russia remains valid.
A week earlier, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Bogdanov said that Abbas “will soon make an official visit to Moscow,” and negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected. Peskov then noted that the meeting would primarily discuss the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
On October 7, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented-scale rocket attack from the Gaza Strip as part of the Operation Flood Al-Flood, announced by the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement. Aksy.» After this, the organization’s fighters penetrated into the border areas in southern Israel.
In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Within a few days, the Israeli military took control of all populated areas near the border with Gaza and began carrying out air strikes on targets, including civilians, in the strip. Israel also announced a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip: the supply of water, food, electricity, medicine, and fuel was stopped.
The number of victims in the Gaza Strip exceeded 8.8 thousand, over 22 thousand were injured. In Israel, according to local authorities, more than 1.3 thousand people died. The Russian Embassy reported that during the escalation of the conflict, 20 Russians were killed, two were taken hostage, and seven were listed as missing. According to various sources, about 150 Israelis may be held captive by Hamas. The movement itself stated that there are about 200-250 prisoners in the Gaza Strip.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the parties to stop hostilities. According to the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the settlement of the Middle East crisis is possible exclusively on the basis of a “two-state” formula approved by the UN Security Council, which provides for the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict related to territorial interests of the parties, has been a source of tension and fighting in the region for many decades. A UN decision with the active role of the USSR in 1947 determined the creation of two states — Israel and Palestine, but only the Israeli one was created.