Russia considered the shelling of both southern Israel and the Gaza Strip as unacceptable, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated Moscow's stance over the situation around Gaza during a phone conversation with Riyad al-Maliki, Foreign Minister of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

Russia condemned the shelling of Israel's southern areas as well as the disproportional Israeli strikes against Gaza territory, which resulted in civilian casualties, the ministry said in a statement published on its website.

Lavrov also informed Maliki about the Russian efforts to stop the armed confrontation in the region.

The Palestinian diplomat briefed Lavrov about an Arab foreign ministers' meeting convened Saturday in the Cairo-based Arab League (AL) headquarters. The meeting also called for reviewing the Arab peace initiative with Israel.

An AL delegation headed by the bloc's chief Nabil al-Arabi was to visit Gaza on Tuesday.

Lavrov intended to call for an urgent meeting of the Middle East Quartet to discuss the situation around the Gaza Strip, local media reported.

The Quartet, which groups the United Nations, Russia, the United States and the European Union, was believed by some AL members as being failed for achieving nothing toward a fair and comprehensive peace in the region.

During the Saturday meeting, Arab foreign ministers expressed their dissatisfaction with the United Nations Security Council, which they said had failed to take a decisive action toward the Israeli attacks on Gaza.