TEL AVIV, October 18. /TASS/. Civilians are suffering following the Israeli military strikes on the Gaza Strip, but these strikes set out to hit legitimate "terrorist targets" located in the Palestinian enclave, therefore the blame for civilian deaths rests with the Hamas radical movement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

"Unfortunately, civilians suffer when Israel delivers legitimate strikes on terrorists," Israeli PM Netanyahu said following his meeting with US President Joe Biden, who arrived in Tel Aviv earlier in the day.

"Hamas bears full responsibility and must be held accountable for all civilian casualties," Netanyahu added.

The Israeli premier stressed that his country is set to minimize as much as possible casualties among civilians in the Gaza Strip and called again on the local residents to evacuate the districts that are targeted by the Israeli military strikes.

"As this war continues to unfold, Israel will do everything possible to protect civilians from harm," he said. "We have asked them and will continue asking them to move to safer areas."

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 and has been delivering rocket attacks on Gaza as well as some districts in Lebanon and Syria.

According to the latest official data, more than 3,500 Palestinians have been killed since the renewed outbreak of violence, while over 13,700 others have sustained wounds. In Israel, over 1,500 people have lost their lives and over 4,200 have been wounded in clashes, including on the West Bank of the Jordan River.