MOSCOW - Russia so far sees no prospect for a peace settlement in Gaza or the wider Middle East with the war in Gaza was escalating due to Israel's incursion into Rafah, Moscow said on Wednesday.

Israel invaded Rafah, a southern Gazan city, where more than one million displaced Palestinian civilians have sought shelter from Israel's offensive throughout the tiny territory.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: “An additional destabilizing factor, including for the entire region, was the launch of an Israeli military ground operation in Rafah.

"About one and a half million Palestinian civilians are concentrated there. In this regard, we demand strict compliance with the provisions of international humanitarian law."

Speaking more broadly about efforts to find a lasting settlement in the Middle East, Ms Zakharova said: "I would like to call it a settlement, but, alas, it is far from a settlement.

"There are no prospects for resolving the situation in the Gaza Strip. On the contrary, the situation in the conflict zone is escalating daily."

The war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct 7, killing about 1,200 people and abducting about 250 others, of whom 133 are believed to remain in captivity in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's offensive has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, in the conflict, the Gaza Health Ministry said. REUTERS