The Ministry of Foreign Affairs supported the holding of an international conference on the Middle East

Moscow supports the holding of an international conference on resolving the conflict in the Middle East, reported on the website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Against the backdrop of an unprecedented escalation of violence in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone, calls for collective action to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East, including the holding of an international conference, are increasingly heard. The Russian Federation actively supports this attitude and has always defended the need for a multilateral approach to the Middle East settlement,” the statement says.

The ministry noted that attempts to “monopolize” mediation functions, “as history proves,” did not lead to the resolution of conflicts, but to their aggravation.

“The priority task today is to quickly end the fighting in Gaza, ensure the protection of the civilian population, deliver the necessary humanitarian aid to those in need, and release all hostages. Otherwise, we will face the risks of radicalization and increased terrorist activity, and the danger of expanding the geography of the conflict,” the Foreign Ministry emphasized.

On November 4, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed holding a conference on the situation in the Middle East to achieve peace. The Turkish leader believes that the republic “must take the leading role as a guarantor for the Gaza Strip,” and all interested parties can take part in the conference itself.

October 28 at the Russian Foreign Ministry statedthat the conflict between Israel and the Hamas group must be stopped, and on the basis of the “two-state” formula approved by the UN, an independent Palestine should be created within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.

The department recalled that in order to prevent the escalation of the conflict, Russia initiated a draft UN Security Council resolution demanding a humanitarian ceasefire. The project was blocked by the American side, but on October 27 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution containing “an unequivocal signal to stop the violence.”

The Palestinian group Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,400 people. The Israeli army responded by launching Operation Iron Swords. According to the latest data from the Gaza Ministry of Health, about 9,500 people were killed as a result of the Israeli strikes, and more than 24,000 were injured.

Now the fighting, as stated in Tel Aviv, has entered a “new phase.” On October 27, the Israeli military announced an expansion of the ground operation, calling on residents of the northern Gaza Strip to move to the south. On November 2, the Israeli army conducted an operation to encircle Gaza City, then starting fighting in the city with Hamas militants. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on November 5, announced the need for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.