Moscow urges Israel to avoid casualties among Palestinians during new military operation

Moscow urges Israel to avoid civil casualties during the military operation that has just started in Gaza and in the vicinity of the Palestinian Rafah camp.

According to the statement made by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Boris Malakhov and received by RIA Novosti on Monday, the situation in the Middle East deteriorated again as a result of two terrorist acts downtown Tel-Aviv on Sunday, when two suicide-bombers triggered explosives wrapped around their bodies in the densely-populated areas of the city, killing many people.

Information received after the terrorist act indicates that at least 23 people were killed, including women and children, and more than a hundred people were wounded. Several Palestinian extremist organizations simultaneously claimed responsibility for the acts of terror.

The statement also indicates that on Monday night the Israeli authorities commenced a military operation involving helicopter support in Gaza and in the vicinity of the Palestinian Rafah camp. "We acknowledge the right of Israel to ensure the security of its people and, consequently, we recognize the necessity of military response, but, at the same time we hope that the Israeli authorities would not allow casualties among Palestinian civilians," the statement reads.