Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned of the displacement of 2 million Palestinians amid Israel's strikes on Gaza.
"If Gaza is wiped out, (...) it will trigger a catastrophe for decades, if not centuries," Lavrov told Belarusian state news agency Belta in an interview that was also published by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Saturday.
Lavrov warned against an Israeli ground offensive, which is widely expected, and reiterated that a ceasefire is needed for humanitarian aid deliveries.
Moscow continues to offer to mediate in the conflict, even as it pounds neighbouring Ukraine in a war launched last year. The Kremlin has been seeking to show that Russia is not internationally isolated, despite sanctions imposed by the West.
Moscow has also repeatedly told the Israeli government that violence would not cease as long as Palestinians do not have their own state, he said. "In the absence of a state, there will be a permanent threat to Israel."
