TEL AVIV, February 16. /TASS/. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has suffered 571 casualties in fighting against the Palestinian movement Hamas since the conflict escalated on October 7, 2023, the army said.

According to the latest reports, an Israeli service member was killed in battle in the city of Khan Yunis on Thursday. Another eight troops suffered wounds in the area. The army’s death toll in the Gaza ground operation has risen to 233.

Tensions in the Middle East flared up again on October 7, 2023, after militants from the radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of border communities and taking people hostage. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel announced a total blockade of Gaza and started carrying out retaliatory strikes on targets in the Strip and certain areas of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.