Cairo: Secretary-General of the Arab League (AL), Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, has headed to Russia to discuss developments in the situation in the Gaza Strip.
Aboul-Gheit on Sunday flew to Moscow on a working visit at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement by Gamal Roshdy, spokesman for the AL Secretary-General.
The visit will include an expanded session of discussions with Lavrov on regional and international issues, most notably the ongoing escalation in the Gaza Strip.
The visit came after Hamas on Saturday launched a surprise attack on Israeli towns adjacent to the Gaza Strip, which has so far resulted in the deaths of more than 700 Israelis, while the death toll from Israeli retaliatory attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 413.
The Hamas militants infiltrated Israel in SUVs, motorcycles and paragliders and opened fire at civilians. The early morning barrage lasted more than 30 minutes.
After the deadly operation, Tel Aviv declared a “state of war” on Saturday. As of now, the operation is still going on in eight locations, the Israeli forces said Sunday.
Both Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since the Islamic militant group that opposes Israel, seized control of Gaza in 2007. Israel has maintained a blockade over Gaza since that time.