By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW (AA) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed concern over the current escalation of tensions in the Middle East, calling the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict "one of the bloodiest in a long series of clashes" and emphasizing the need to correct historical injustices against the Palestinian people.
Speaking at a meeting in the BRICS Outreach/Plus format in the Russian city of Kazan, Putin emphasized that the fighting in the Gaza Strip has already claimed the lives of over 42,000 people, the majority of whom are civilians.
"The fighting in Gaza began a year ago and has now spread to Lebanon. Other countries in the region are also impacted. The level of conflict between Israel and Iran has increased. All of this resembles a chain reaction, bringing the entire Middle East to the brink of full-fledged war,” he warned.
Putin voiced concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying it is "rapidly deteriorating," with the number of refugees and internally displaced Palestinians already exceeding 1.5 million.
"Enormous damage has been caused to infrastructure and residential buildings, schools, hospitals, and social facilities, and the destruction continues," he said.
Russia, despite its own numerous problems, has been actively involved in efforts to resolve the conflict since the beginning of the escalation, alongside BRICS members and other partners, Putin said, noting that an emergency BRICS video summit was held in November last year over the situation in Gaza.
"The urgent task, of course, is to launch a comprehensive political process to resolve the Middle East problem in its entirety. It is necessary to stop the violence, provide vital assistance to the victims, and alleviate their suffering," he stressed.
The Russian leader reiterated Moscow's "principled" position on the two-state solution, stressing that the settlement must be achieved on a generally recognized international legal basis, which directly provides for the creation of an independent Palestinian state that can peacefully coexist with Israel.
"Correcting the historical injustice against the Palestinian people can guarantee peace in the Middle East. Until this issue is resolved, the vicious circle of violence will not be broken. People will continue to live in an atmosphere of permanent crisis, with inevitable relapses of large-scale violence," he remarked.
In his closing remarks, Putin emphasized that the implementation of the two-state formula approved by the UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions is critical to restoring peace and stability in the Palestinian territories.
Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.
More than 42,700 people, mostly women and children, have been killed, and over 100,300 injured, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli war on Gaza has displaced almost the territory’s entire population amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.