CAIRO, February 10. /TASS/. More than 28,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the enclave’s Health Ministry said.
According to the ministry’s statistics, "the death toll from Israeli aggression in the enclave currently stands at 28,064." The ministry said in the statement that since early October 2023, 67,611 people had been wounded in Israeli bombardment and shelling attacks 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 Gaza border were killed or taken hostage. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of Gaza, launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria, and then went on to conduct a ground offensive in the enclave. The clashes are also reported in the West Bank. 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.