Russian leader: Violence in Israel, Palestine shows US failure in Middle East

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the Israel-Gaza conflict showed the "failure" of US Middle East policy and called the creation of "an independent sovereign Palestinian state" a "necessity".

"I think that many people will agree with me that this is a vivid example of the failure of US policy in the Middle East," he said during the meeting with Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Moscow, according to NDTV World.

In his opinion, the United States ignored the interests of the Palestinian people in its policy in the Middle East, according to Kommersant.

“The US put pressure on both sides. First one, then the other. But each time without taking into account the fundamental interests of the Palestinian people. First of all, the implementation of the decisions of the UN Security Council on the creation of an independent sovereign Palestinian state,” the president said.

 “The United States was not concerned with finding compromises acceptable to both sides and acceptable to the Palestinian people,” Putin emphasized.

According to him, damage to civilians during the Palestinian-Israeli conflict “must be minimized and reduced to zero,” and all conflicting parties must be guided by this.

The United Nations said that nearly 2,00,000 people or nearly a tenth of the population, have fled their homes in Gaza since the beginning of the war between Israel and the Hamas group, and are poised for shortages of water and electricity due to a blockade.

"Displacement has escalated dramatically across the Gaza strip, reaching more than 1,87,500 people since October 7. Most are taking shelter in schools," Jens Laerke, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokesperson, noted at a Geneva briefing, saying further displacement was expected as clashes continue.

Israel continued to pound Hamas targets in Gaza and said the bodies of 1,500 terrorists were found in southern towns recaptured by the army near the Palestinian enclave.

The death count in Israel has surged above 900, while Gaza officials have reported 687 people killed so far.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to turn Hamas-controlled areas "to rubble", raising concern from the United Nations over possible "humanitarian law" violations.