Russia received more than 700 requests for evacuation from Palestine

The Russian mission to the Palestinian National Authority has received more than 700 requests for evacuation from Palestine, over 400 of them from Russians, Aliya Zaripova, spokeswoman for the Russian diplomatic institution, told Vedomosti.

“Evacuation routes and dates are being worked out,” she said.

How wrote previously Vedomosti, there are about 2,000 Russian citizens throughout the formal territory of the Palestinian Authority, of which 1,200 are in the besieged and bombed Gaza Strip, where a ground operation is expected in the near future. Moreover, the only possible way out of the enclave is through the checkpoint on the border with Egypt.

On October 7, the Palestinian group Hamas began military operations against Israel. The militants attacked army border units, entered Israeli populated areas and took an unknown number of military and civilian hostages.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the launch of Operation Iron Swords, and the Israeli government announced that the country had entered a state of war. Since October 7, Israel has regularly carried out strikes on Hamas-linked targets. According to the IDF, militants are hiding in Gaza in tunnels under houses containing civilians. According to militants, as a result of Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours died 13 hostages, including foreign citizens.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, commenting on Israel’s plans to conduct a ground operation in Gaza, warned of serious consequences for both sides. “The most important thing is that losses among civilians will be absolutely unacceptable – almost 2 million people live there,” – said it’s October 13th.