Russia has said it was “shocked” by the Israeli ambassador saying it could take up to two weeks to evacuate Russian citizens from the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s envoy to Moscow told Russian state media this week that with 500-600 people leaving each day, and 7,000 waiting to be evacuated, it could take two weeks to get Russian citizens out of Gaza, AFP reports.

“We were truly shocked to hear that statement,” Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.

“This logic is unacceptable,” she said, adding that Russia had followed all the requested procedures for submitting evacuation lists to the relevant authorities.

More than 500 Russian citizens are awaiting evacuation, Russian state media reported earlier in November, citing the Russian diplomatic mission to Palestine.