MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin on Monday said it was extremely concerned about recent events in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, warning that the situation could escalate into a wider conflict in the Middle East.
“We are extremely concerned,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“We are watching with great concern what is happening around Israel in the Middle East. This situation is potentially fraught with the danger of spillover, and therefore, of course, it is a subject of our special concern these days.”
Hamas fighters rampaged through Israeli towns as the country suffered its bloodiest day in decades on Saturday. Israel battered Palestinians with air strikes in Gaza on Sunday, with hundreds reportedly killed on both sides.
“We believe that it is necessary to bring the situation to a peaceful path as soon as possible because the continuation of such a round of violence is fraught with further escalation and the expansion of this conflict,” Peskov said. “This is a great danger for the region.”
Peskov said Russia’s embassy had no information yet on how many Russian citizens in Israel might have been hurt or killed there. He also said Russia was in contact with the Palestinians to try to understand if any Russians had been injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza.
(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge/Andrew Osborn)
