Moscow: Russia on Tuesday warned of a potential 'spiral of escalation' in Gaza amid renewed Israeli attacks on the besieged enclave that killed hundreds of Palestinians, including children and women. The Israeli army pounded the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing more than 400 people and injuring over 560 others, despite a ceasefire agreement, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

According to Anadolu Agency, images from Gaza showed that the majority of the victims were civilians, including women and children, whose homes were bombed during the night. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed Russia's concern over the escalating tensions, emphasizing the importance of returning to a peaceful course.

More than 48,500 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 112,000 others injured in a brutal Israeli military campaign in Gaza since October 2023. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

Commenting on the scheduled phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, Peskov described the upcoming conversation as a "mutual initiative." The call is expected to be held at 4-6 pm Moscow time (1300-1500GMT), with discussions anticipated to cover the normalization of bilateral relations and the Ukrainian settlement.

Peskov noted that Moscow has yet to decide how it will announce the results of the conversation, which will be done "as quickly as possible." On Sunday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he plans to speak with his Russian counterpart about ongoing efforts to end the Moscow-Kyiv conflict, as reported by The New York Times. Peskov confirmed that such a conversation is planned for Tuesday.