CAIRO, December 16. /TASS/. More than 19,000 people have been killed in Israel’s operation in the Gaza Strip and the more intense clashes in the West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement.

"Since the start of Israel’s aggression in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, 19,088 people have been killed," the ministry’s statement said, as quoted by the Al Qahera Al Ekhbariya television channel.

According to the ministry’s statistics, "70% of the victims caused by the Israeli attacks are women and teenagers."

The ministry added that currently "only eleven hospitals are partially operating" in Gaza.

Tensions flared up in the Middle East after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip attacked Israeli territory on October 7, when many Israelis living in the settlements near the border were killed and over 200 people, including children, women and the elderly, were taken hostage. Hamas views its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ steps against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.