Putin criticizes ‘catastrophic humanitarian situation’ in Gaza in call with Netanyahu

Russian President Vladimir Putin tells Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in their phone conversation that Moscow rejects terrorism, but it cannot support the “dire” situation of Gazan civilians.

According to the state-run TASS news agency, the conversation focused on “the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip,” saying that Israel’s military response to the Hamas terror onslaught cannot lead “to such dire consequences for the civilian population,” in a statement from the Kremlin carried by the agency.

The Russian readout says that Moscow is “ready to provide all possible assistance in order to alleviate the suffering of civilians and de-escalate the conflict” and that both Russia and Israel are looking to continue to “cooperate” on both evacuating Russians from Gaza and freeing Israeli hostages held in Gaza.