“Deep concerns have been expressed about the continued escalation of violence and the catastrophic increase in the number of civilian casualties,” the Kremlin said in a telephone conversation between the two leaders.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed “concern” to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday about the “catastrophic increase” in civilian casualties in Israel and the Gaza Strip, after four days of war sparked by Hamas attacks Thousands of deaths had begun.
“The focus was on the sharply deteriorating situation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict zone. Deep concerns were expressed about the continued escalation of violence and the catastrophic increase in the number of civilian casualties,” said a Kremlin press release following a telephone conversation between the two leaders.
Need for an “immediate ceasefire”
Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated the need for “an immediate ceasefire” and “the resumption of the negotiation process,” according to the Kremlin.
For its part, the Turkish presidency noted that the two heads of state discussed “the alarming developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the measures to be taken to avoid escalation.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan also noted in a press release that it was “regrettable to target civilian facilities and that Turkey does not view such acts favorably.”
Since the Hamas offensive against Israel on Saturday, the Israeli army has been shelling the Gaza Strip in retaliation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to defeat the Palestinian Islamist movement “with violence, enormous violence.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Vladimir Putin called the creation of a Palestinian state “necessary” and said the new war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas shows the “failure” of US policy in the Middle East.