UNITED NATIONS, October 18. /TASS/. Hundreds of children have died and more than 300,000 children have been forced to leave their homes since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict escalated on October 7, Catherine Russell, Executive Director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), said.

"In just 11 days, hundreds of children have tragically lost their lives - not including today’s deaths (which resulted in Tuesday's strike on a hospital in the Gaza Strip - TASS) - and thousands more injured, and over 300,000 children displaced from their homes," Russell said in a statement published on the UNICEF website. "Every child, everywhere deserves peace," she pointed out.

Arab media reported that several powerful blasts rocked central districts of Gaza on Tuesday, dealing major damage to a local hospital building. The Al Hadath TV channel attributed the explosions to an air strike delivered by Israel’s Air Force. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said with reference to "intelligence from multiple sources" that "Islamic Jihad is responsible for the failed rocket launch which hit the hospital in Gaza."

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when militants from the radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem. Israel has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip as it has been delivering rocket attacks on Gaza as well as some districts in Lebanon and Syria.