About 180 citizens of Russia and former Soviet republics are expected to be evacuated Friday from the zone of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by two planes of Russia's Emergencies Ministry from Amman, the capital of Jordan.
"A total of 183 people are staying on the Palestinian side of the Erez border crossing in the expectation of the evacuation. These are citizens of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States," the Russian embassy in Israel said.
Israel began a massive air offensive on Gaza on Saturday in response to rocket and mortar fire by militants on southern Israel which have left four Israelis dead.
Tel Aviv has called it "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.
