DUBAI, September 17. /TASS/. At least 20 people were killed in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israel Defense Forces strikes over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry of the Palestinian enclave reported.

As the ministry reported, at least 76 Palestinians were wounded during the Israeli army attacks on Monday, September 16.

"Many of the victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, but ambulance crews and civil defense services cannot reach them," the ministry said in a statement published on its Telegram channel.

The Gaza Health Ministry also reported that since the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October 2023, the total number of deaths in the enclave has risen to 41,226. Another 95,413 people were injured.

The situation in the Middle East sharply deteriorated after Hamas militants entered Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip on October 7 last year, killing residents of border settlements and taking hostages. In response, Israel launched a military operation in Gaza with the aim of destroying the military and political structure of Hamas and freeing all those kidnapped.