Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday likened the siege imposed by the Israeli occupation army on the Gaza Strip to Nazi Germany's siege of the Russian city of Leningrad during World War II, and called for a solution to the conflict through mediation.

Putin said - during a press conference in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan - that the tight siege imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip, where more than two million people live, is unacceptable.

He added that we must think about the Palestinian citizens who are suffering from the Israeli military escalation, warning that Israel launching a ground operation in Gaza will lead to an increase in civilian casualties.

Putin's statement came after the Israeli army on Friday asked all civilians in the northern Gaza Strip - who number more than a million people - to move to the south within 24 hours, while tanks were mobilizing in preparation for an expected ground invasion of the Strip.

Putin said that the use of heavy weapons in residential areas is “fraught with serious consequences for all parties,” but said that Israel has the right to defend itself after being “attacked with unprecedented cruelty.”

At the same time, the Russian President called for collective efforts to ensure an early ceasefire and stabilize the situation on the ground, stressing that his country is ready to coordinate with all partners with a constructive approach.

He said that the negotiations should be directed towards a two-state solution to the conflict in the Middle East, so that the Palestinians obtain a state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Putin repeated his previous criticism of the United States, saying that the current tragedy is the result of the failure of American policy in the Middle East.

Russia has long-standing relations with both Israel and the Palestinians, including the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), but its relations with Israel have been marred by tension since the beginning of the Ukrainian war.

Yesterday, Thursday, Moscow urged Israel to agree to a ceasefire to allow food and medicine to enter the Gaza Strip, and said that it was unacceptable that the "indiscriminate" bombing of the small besieged coastal strip would lead to such a large number of civilian casualties.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Deputy Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met with the Lebanese ambassador in Moscow today to discuss the crisis.