CAIRO, July 21. /TASS/. The number of victims of the actions of the Israeli army, which has been conducting a military operation in the Gaza Strip since October last year, is close to 39,000 people, the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian enclave said.

According to the report, "as a result of constant bombing and shelling by Israeli forces of the strip, 38,983 Palestinians were killed." Over the same period, 89,727 people were injured, the ministry said.

Over the past 24 hours alone, 64 people were killed and 105 were injured during attacks by Israeli forces in various parts of the sector.

The situation in the Middle East sharply deteriorated after the infiltration of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, accompanied by killings of residents of border settlements and hostage-taking. Israel responded with retaliatory strikes against the Palestinian enclave and parts of Lebanon and Syria. On December 1, the Israeli army accused Hamas of violating the truce that had been in effect since November 24 and announced that it would resume fighting in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian authorities blame the United States for the renewed Israeli aggression.