Russian Foreign Ministry calls on Israel, Palestine to resume ceasefire

MOSCOW, March 26. /TASS/. Moscow calls on Israel and Palestine to immediately resume the ceasefire, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday, commenting on the rising tensions in the Gaza Strip. "We call on the Israelis and the Palestinians to exercise restraint and immediately resume the ceasefire," the statement reads. "There is a need to resume the Israeli-Palestinian negotiation process based on decisions made by the US Security Council and General Assembly and the Arab Peace Initiative in order to stop the spiral of violence and achieve a long-term, just and sustainable peace in the Middle East," the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized. "Moscow is deeply concerned about a new round of tensions that may lead to a large-scale armed conflict, civilian deaths on both sides and the further deterioration of the already dire situation in the Gaza Strip, which has been under a blockade for years," the statement adds. In the early hours of March 25, a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit a house in the Mishmeret settlement in central Israel, leaving seven wounded. The Israeli military responded by targeting the positions of the Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip. Read more