LONDON, November 1. /TASS/. Israel is trying to avoid civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip while carrying out airstrikes on positions held by militants of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, the country’s air force chief of staff told The Times of London.

"We insist on keeping the process of how we select targets. These are our values. Unfortunately, there are a lot of casualties. We try to avoid these casualties. But Hamas-ISIS (Islamic State, IS, a terrorist organization banned in Russia - TASS) uses civilians to be part of this war. Despite this decision, we try to avoid civilian casualties, but unfortunately sometimes in this war it happens," Brigadier General Eyal Greenbaum said.

He pointed out that the decision for any air strike goes through 11-12 stages of approval. He also stressed that Israel adheres to the rules of warfare. At the same time, the military commander did not talk about how many civilians in Gaza might have died as a result of the Israeli bombing.

On October 30, the Al Jazeera TV channel reported, citing the Gaza Health Ministry, that the death toll in the enclave had risen to 8,306 since a renewed escalation of tensions was sparked in the Middle East on October 7. Among the victims are 3,457 children and 2,136 women. In total, at least 21,048 people have been affected.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when militants from the radical Palestinian group Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking 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 has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank. On October 27, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari announced the expansion of Israel’s military ground operation in Gaza.