CAIRO, August 8. /TASS/. More than 20 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours in attacks by Israeli troops, the enclave’s Health Ministry said.

"During the past 24 hours alone, 22 people have been killed and 77 sustained wounds as a result of shelling and bombardment from Israeli troops in various parts of the strip," the ministry wrote on its Telegram channel. It also said that the death toll in the Gaza Strip since the start of the Israeli military operation has grown to 39,699, with 91,722 people wounded.

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. In response, Israel launched a military operation in the Palestinian enclave to destroy Hamas military and political wings and free all hostages. Military activities in Gaza continue to this day.