Putin tells Abbas ‘concerned’ about Palestinian civilian toll

MOSCOW (AFP): Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday told Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas that Moscow was “concerned” about civilian deaths in Gaza.

“We are concerned above all about civilian losses,” Putin said, according to images shown on Russian state television.

“We are doing everything … to support Palestine and the Palestinian people,” he said.

The only way to create “long-lasting, reliable, stable peace in the region” is implementation of all UN resolutions and the “creation of a fully-fledged Palestinian state,” he added.

Abbas told Putin: “We feel that Russia is one of the dearest friends of the Palestinian people.”

The leaders held talks after a weekend strike on a Gaza school building left at least 93 people dead, including 11 children, according to the Gaza civil defense agency.

Israel’s military said the raid had “eliminated” 31 militants.

Moscow for years tried to balance relations with all major players in the Middle East — including Israel and the Palestinians.

But since the Israel-Hamas war and Russia’s own offensive on Ukraine, Putin has moved closer to Israel’s foes, Hamas and Iran.

The Gaza war began with the Hamas October 7 attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed at least 39,929 people, according to a toll from the territory’s health ministry, which does not provide a breakdown of civilian and militant deaths.

The Kremlin has repeatedly criticized Israel’s response to the October 7 attacks and called for restraint.