About 1,000 Russians, their family members stranded in southern Gaza – Russian diplomat

UNITED NATIONS: About 1,000 Russians and their family members have become hostages to the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip, Russia's envo...

UNITED NATIONS: About 1,000 Russians and their family members have become hostages to the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip, Russia's envoy to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said at a meeting of the UN Security Council.

"More than 2 million residents of the strip remain without water, food, medical care, fuel and electricity. The only checkpoint on the border with Egypt, Rafah, has again come under a rocket attack and has never been opened to allow the exit of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian goods. About 1,000 Russian citizens and members of their families have essentially become hostages to the military siege of Gaza," the diplomat said.

Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov earlier said that about 1,000 citizens of Russia and other CIS countries, including their family members, are stranded in the south of the Gaza Strip, waiting for the opening of the Rafah border crossing. According to the diplomat, the situation in the south of the Gaza Strip is "close to catastrophic".

The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated following an incursion of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israel on October 7. Hamas regards the attack as a response to Israeli actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Israel has declared a complete siege of the Gaza Strip and has started delivering strikes on that area and parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank. More than 3,400 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,000 wounded. Also, up to 1,500 Israelis have been killed and more than 4,500 wounded.

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