Russia says escalation in Gaza Strip at new stage after Israel begins ground operations

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday that the conflict in the Gaza Strip reached a new stage of escalation after Israel started ground operations late Friday.

It warned about the dangerous consequences of the move, which it said would negatively affect all parties to the conflict and lead to a "sharp degradation" of the humanitarian situation and further aggravate the civilian population’s situation in Gaza.

"The priority task of the world community today is to stop the bloodshed, minimize damage to the civilian population and turn the situation into a political and diplomatic channel," it said.

The ministry urged a relaunching of full-scale talks to establish an independent Palestinian state with the capital in East Jerusalem.

Russia maintains contacts with all interested parties and contributes to the achievement of peaceful solutions to the conflict, including through mediation functions, it noted.

"We warn against adventurous decisions by those external players who are tempted to ignite another big war in the Middle East and reverse the positive evolution of this strategically important region, characterized by a gradual improvement of interstate relations," it said.

The Israeli army said it entered the northern Gaza Strip on Friday, where it has continued relentless bombardment for three weeks.

Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said forces entered northern Gaza and expanded military operations with infantry and armored corps.

Nearly 8,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli attacks. Some 70% of the Palestinian deaths are women and children, according to official figures.

The death toll in Israel stands at more than 1,400.

Gaza's 2.3 million residents are also grappling with shortages of food, water and medicine due to Israel’s massive air bombardment and total blockade of the enclave.

The UN General Assembly called for an immediate humanitarian truce, with 120 states voting for a resolution put forward by Jordan.

Israel, however, rejected the resolution.