Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Saturday evening issued a statement on the recent hostilities in Gaza. In it, she underlined that, "Moscow is seriously concerned about the new wave of armed violence in the zone of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict." According to Zakharova, Russia is following the war in Gaza and believes that it is "fraught with the renewal of full-scale military confrontation and further deterioration of the already deplorable humanitarian situation in Gaza." Placing the blame for the fighting squarely and solely on Israel, she claimed, "The Israeli Air Force's airstrikes triggered another escalation on August 5, in response to which Palestinian armed militants launched a massive indiscriminate shelling of the Israeli territory." She added, "According to the latest information, Israeli attacks killed 10 Palestinians and left over 80 wounded." Related articles: Islamic Jihad leader Bassem al-Saadi sentenced to 22 months Indictment filed against top Islamic Jihad terrorist Islamic Jihad terrorists display rockets during parade in Gaza Head of Islamic Jihad in Jenin to be indicted Zakharova then called for "all parties involved to exercise maximum restraint, prevent the escalation of hostilities, and immediately return to the sustainable ceasefire regime." The statement also reaffirmed Russia's commitment to a two-state solution, "which was reflected in the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the United Nations Security Council, in support of a comprehensive and long-term settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in accordance with the principle of two states," she said. According to her, "It is not possible put an end to the periodic violence except within a negotiations process framework, the result of which should be the achievement of the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state within the 1967 borders."
