Saturday, 3 January 2009Two planes carrying Russian and CIS nationals, evacuated from the Gaza Strip following Israeli airstrikes, have arrived in Moscow, the emergencies ministry said on Saturday.
The two flights carrying 102 Russians and 76 nationals from Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Moldavia were evacuated from Gaza by bus on Friday and taken to Jordan for the onward flights to Moscow.
Some 250 Russians, mainly the wives and children of Palestinians who studied at Russian universities, live in the Gaza Strip.
Israel began a massive air offensive on Gaza last Saturday in what it called "an all-out war" against the Islamic militant group Hamas which controls Gaza.
Some 403 Palestinians have been killed in the airstrikes, with over 2,000 injured.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev earlier instructed the Foreign Ministry to provide aid to Russians in Gaza and evacuate them if necessary amid Israel's air offensive on the region.
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Saturday, 3 January 2009
RIA Novosti
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