Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday expressed his regret that lives had to be lost to draw worldwide attention to the problems of the Gaza Strip.
"To my deep regret, blood needed to be spilled to draw international attention to the intolerable plight of the Gaza people," the Russian foreign minister said.
He expressed confidence that the world community would now pay closer attention to the proposals put forward by the Middle East Quartet of negotiators, comprising the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia.
He also said that Russia would continue its aid to the Hamas-run Gaza strip, hit by a deep humanitarian crisis after an Israeli blockade was imposed on the coastal enclave in 2007.
"We have sent special humanitarian aid to the population of the Gaza Strip, and we will continue such aid in the future," he said.
The Israeli military stormed the Freedom Flotilla, carrying some 10,000 tons of aid and up to 700 human rights to Gaza, in neutral waters in the Mediterranean Sea on Monday. The operation claimed the lives of at least 9 people. Arab media reports put the death toll at close to 20.
Israel said the continuation of the blockade and Israel's actions to prevent the blockade from being breached are "an act of self-defense in the face of Hamas' continuing aggression."
MOSCOW, June 2 (RIA Novosti)
