CAIRO, October 11. /TASS/. At least 60% of the Palestinians affected by the Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip are women and children, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported.

"At least 60% of the injured in Gaza are women and children," the Health Ministry wrote on its Facebook (a social media site banned in Russia since it is owned by Meta corporation deemed extremist by the Russian authorities). No details were given about their condition.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when Hamas militants staged an attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Hamas described its operation as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem. Israel has declared a state of war readiness and announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians and has launched attacks against Gaza and parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes have also taken place in the West Bank. According to the latest official data, up to 1,000 Palestinians have been killed since the renewed outbreak of violence, while over 5,000 have suffered wounds. In Israel, more than 1,200 people have lost their lives and over 3,000 have been wounded.