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Israeli-Palestinian conflict

More than 60 Palestinians killed in Israeli shelling of Gaza over past 24 hours — TV

According to Al Jazeera, people in the bombed areas are experiencing severe food shortages

DUBAI, February 18. /TASS/. More than 60 Palestinians have been killed over the past 24 hours as a result of the Israeli army's shelling of the central and southern areas of the Gaza Strip, Qatar’s Al Jazeera reported.

Israel has been conducting a series of airstrikes on a number of central areas of the enclave, as well as the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis. According to the TV channel, people in the bombed areas are experiencing severe food shortages. There are also growing fears of a possible military invasion of Rafah, which would exacerbate the humanitarian crisis.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported the shelling of the town of Deir al-Balah in the central part of the enclave. At least 10 civilians were killed, including women and children. Residential buildings and farmland were bombed.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 240 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. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians before the crisis, and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes have also been reported on the West Bank.

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Palestine Israel Israeli-Palestinian conflict

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Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, May 16th