🇮🇱🇵🇸 Latest updates on Palestinian-Israeli conflict:

▪️ IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari has announced that the number of hostages has risen to 138. Some 20 women and children remain hostage in Gaza, while the rest are men.

▪️ Israeli military struck nearly 250 sites in Gaza Strip overnight, the IDF said.

▪️ US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Washington's efforts to resolve the conflict in the Middle East during a phone conversation, the US Department of State said.

▪️ Netanyahu said that no international force is capable of ensuring the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, as it can be guaranteed "only by the Israeli army."

▪️ Israel's defense minister says Hamas is losing control of the Gaza Strip.

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💶 The European Union has overpaid around €185 billion for gas imports since it imposed self-harming sanctions against Russia over Ukraine, according to Sputnik’s calculations based on Eurostat data.

Since February 2022, the EU's average monthly gas import expenditures have risen to €15.2 billion. Of this, 7.7 billion has been spent on liquefied natural gas (LNG), with the US cashing in the most on this. The remaining €7.5 billion were spent by the EU on pipeline gas.

It is estimated that EU member states over the course of 20 months spent a total of €304 billion on gas imports, while previously such expenses were accrued over several years.

Russia, on the other hand, despite the reduction in gas export volumes, received an additional € 14 billion euros due to rising energy costs.

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❗️ Presidential elections in Russia may be held on March 17, 2024. The issue will be considered on December 7.

🇩🇪 German defense minister: Berlin is not an ally of Ukraine

In an interview with ZDF, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius commented on accusations of insufficient military aid to Kiev, adding that Berlin and other partners are "doing what they can":

"First of all, we are not an ally of Ukraine. This means that we are not in a situation that obliges us to intervene within the framework of the alliance," he said.

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WATCH LIVE: Putin Arrives in Abu Dhabi For Talks With UAE President

👉Follow the live here or on the Sputnik's website

🇷🇺🇦🇪 During Putin's arrival, the sky over Abu Dhabi was painted with the Russian tricolor

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WATCH LIVE: Putin Pays Official Visit to UAE

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🇨🇳🇷🇺 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Washington needs to stop interfering in the internal affairs of the Asian country, the state-run television reported on Wednesday.

The diplomats also discussed during a phone conversation the situation in the Middle East, with Wang pointing a ceasefire as the main priority, the media added.

Earlier in the day, the US Department of State said that Blinken held a phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart.

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🇷🇺🇦🇪 Negotiations between Putin and the UAE’s president have begun in Abu Dhabi. The UAE leader called the Russian president a “dear friend.”

Putin said that relations between Russia and the UAE have reached an unprecedented high level.

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❗️ Su-35S fighters accompanied Putin’s plane throughout the flight to Abu Dhabi, Peskov said.

To escort the presidential plane, special permissions were obtained from the countries over which the flight took place; the Kremlin is grateful to them for their cooperation, the presidential press secretary said.

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The Russian Ministry of Defense published a video of the Russian President's plane being escorted by Su-35S fighters

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