Putin speaks to Netanyahu about Gaza conflict, promises measures to prevent escalation

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the Israel-Hamas war and briefed him on his talks with several leaders from the region and the Palestinian authority.

During their talks, Putin highlighted the measures Russia is taking to stop the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip from escalating further during their discussions.

"President of Russia Vladimir #Putin spoke with Prime Minister of the State of Israel @netanyahu over the phone," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia posted on X.

"President Putin laid out the steps being taken by Russia to prevent the further escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip," it added. Moscow said that the conversation was centred on "the crisis situation resulting from the brutal escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

"The Israeli side was in particular informed of the essential points of telephone correspondences that took place today with the leaders of Palestine, Egypt, Iran and Syria," the Kremlin said in a statement.

The Russian President expressed "his sincere condolences to the families and friends of the deceased Israelis," the Kremlin said, according to The Moscow Times.

Along with that, he informed the Israeli leader of the measures taken by Russia to "promote the normalisation of the situation, prevent a further escalation of violence, and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip."

The Russian president also expressed to Netanyahu his country's "fundamental desire to continue its targeted action aimed at ending" the crisis and achieving "a peaceful settlement through political and diplomatic means," according to a statement from the government, reported The Moscow Times.

The Israeli military is all set to launch a ground invasion in the Gaza Strip, but its extent and when it is carried out may be affected by operational considerations, as tensions grow on the northern border.

Meanwhile, Israel's National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi has reaffirmed that the cabinet's war goal is to remove Hamas from military and political control over the Gaza Strip. Hanegbi said that in a recent cabinet meeting, the government approved a plan to "destroy" Hamas, as stated by the prime minister and defence minister.