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Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Over 70 people killed in last day of fighting in Gaza

According to the Health Ministry, victims are still trapped under the rubble of houses destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in some areas where fighting is taking place

BEIRUT, April 18. /TASS/. A total of 71 people were killed in Israeli attacks on cities and settlements in the Gaza Strip over the day, and another 106 were taken to hospitals with injuries, the enclave's Health Ministry said on its Telegram channel.

"On the 195th day of the Israeli aggression, the number of dead rose from 33,899 to 33,970. The number of wounded rose from 76,664 to 76,770," the document points out.

According to the Health Ministry, victims are still trapped under the rubble of houses destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in some areas where fighting is taking place. Civil defense rescuers are unable to reach them because of heavy fire.

Tensions flared up in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 240 hostages, including women, children and the elderly.

Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City.

Israel announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and has been delivering rocket attacks on Gaza as well as some districts in Lebanon and Syria, and then started a ground operation in the enclave. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.

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Israeli-Palestinian conflict

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