CAIRO, October 18. /TASS/. The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes has exceeded 3,300, Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said.

"Over 3,300 have been killed as a result of Israel’s aggression in Gaza," she said in a statement on Facebook (prohibited in Russia due to its ownership by Meta, which has been designated as extremist).

According to the minister, 4,800 patients in Gaza don’t have access to medical treatment.

The Gaza Strip is facing an acute shortage of medicines and serious issues in terms of access to hospitals, while water supply disruptions and the deteriorating state of the sewage system are increasing the risks of infectious diseases, the official said.

Tensions in the Middle East flared up again after Hamas militants infiltrated Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7. The Palestinian movement described its attack as a response to the actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Israel announced a total blockade of Gaza and started carrying out strikes on the Palestinian enclave, as well as on certain areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.