Russia urges Israel, Palestinians to stop fighting

Moscow calls on Jeruslaem, Palestinians to end latest wave of violence, resume peace talks after four days of military strikes, rocket attacks
Reuters

Russia called on Israel and the Palestinian territories to end the latest wave of violence to give a chance to peace talks.

Gaza Scrimage

37 Palestinians killed in IDF operation in Gaza / Hanan Greenberg

Israeli forces launch military operation Friday night near town of Sajaiya in northern Strip. At least 37 Palestinians killed in heavy exchanges of fire with soldiers, more than 60 others injured

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At least 68 Palestinians have been killed in four days of intense Israeli air strikes and raids in the tiny

Hamas-controlled Gaza strip, home to 1.5 million people straddling Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean.

Israel said it was responding to cross-border rockets which killed an Israeli man in the border town of Sderot on Wednesday and wounded three others in the major southern city of Ashkelon.

"Moscow once again voices its categorical condemnation of the rocket attacks on Israeli territory," Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "They must stop immediately."

Moscow also said it could not accept that "Shells and bombs are falling on the heads of peaceful (Palestinian) women and children, under the pretext of fighting these acts of terror".

"Given the tough blockade of the Gaza Strip, the permanent humanitarian catastrophe, such acts by Israel only give extra arguments to those not willing that Israel and a future Palestinian state should live in peace and harmony," the statement said.