Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed their concern about the tense situation in the Middle East during a phone call, particularly regarding the escalation of violence in the occupied Palestinian territories. The Kremlin stated in a message early Wednesday that the conversation focused primarily on the sharp deterioration of the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone. It added that the two presidents expressed deep concern over the ongoing escalation of violence and the catastrophic increase in civilian casualties, as reported by the Russian news agency TASS. The statement emphasized the necessity for an immediate ceasefire and the resumption of the negotiation process.