CAIRO, January 5. /TASS/. In total, 22,600 people were killed in the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israel’s military operation, the Palestinian enclave’s Ministry of Health said.

"The death toll from the start of dramatic escalation of tension in Gaza under Israeli army attacks is 22,600 people," the ministry said, cited by the Al Hadath television channel. According to the ministry’s data, 57,910 people were wounded over that period.

In the past 24 hours, 162 Palestinians were killed and almost 300 were wounded in Gaza due to bombardments by the Israeli military.

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 Gaza border were killed or taken hostage. In response, Israel launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria. On December 1, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) blamed Hamas for violating the ceasefire, which had been in effect since November 24, and resumed its military operation in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian authorities pinned the blame for the resumption of Israel’s aggression on the United States.