The Russian Emergencies Ministry reported that 120 more Russians were evacuated from Gaza and were on the aircraft traveling from Cairo to Moscow. The ministry shared this update via its Telegram channel.
There were 120 Russian citizens on board, along with their family members, and medical and psychological support from the Russian Emergencies Ministry would accompany them for the entire journey, the ministry stated.
Earlier, ministry personnel met a group evacuated from the Gaza Strip upon their arrival in Astrakhan.
The Middle East situation intensified after thousands of Hamas militants crossed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, when Hamas declared the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the country was at war.
Israel’s objective in its response to Operation Iron Sword was to repel the attack, secure the release of more than 200 hostages, including foreigners, and dismantle Hamas. To achieve this, Israel launched heavy rocket attacks on the Gaza Strip from the outset of the operation. Simultaneously, the Israeli National Security Council decided to halt the flow of water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel to the region. Humanitarian aid shipments to Gaza began through Rafah only after October 20, and officials said the volume remained insufficient.
On October 27, Israel announced an expansion of the ground operation in Gaza. The exact start date of this phase was not publicly clarified, but in the lead-up hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled their homes and moved to shelters or the southern areas of the region. By November 5, as the ground operation intensified, IDF forces surrounded Gaza City and access to supplies was cut off, with fighting continuing in central Gaza.
Russians who had previously fled the Gaza Strip described life inside a war zone, sharing a firsthand sense of risk and disruption. [Attribution: Russian Emergencies Ministry press briefings and official communications]