Updated with the latest death toll and number of people missing.
Four Russian citizens have been killed and at least six others remain missing following the Hamas militant group’s surprise attack on Israel over the weekend, Russia’s Embassy in Tel Aviv told state media Tuesday.
The latest updated toll comes after Russian Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov said on state-run television that two people were dead and four missing.
State media earlier Tuesday reported that one of the Russian citizens killed was 47-year-old Denis Belen’kiy, who was said to have “moved to the Middle East from Riga [Lativa] in 1992,” according to his mother.
“Hundreds” of Russian nationals have contacted the embassy for evacuations out of Israel, according to Ambassador Viktorov.
Hamas representatives have told foreign media outlets that Russian-Israeli dual nationals were among the 150 hostages abducted in the weekend assault.
The militant group threatened to execute some of the hostages if Israel continued air strikes on Gaza without warning.
At least 900 people have died during the ground, air and sea attacks that caught Israel by surprise on Saturday.
Another 700 Palestinians were killed in retaliatory Israeli strikes, while the Israeli army said it had recovered the bodies of 1,500 Hamas militants inside Israel.
AFP contributed reporting.
