DUBAI, October 25. /TASS/. More than 730 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since October 7, 2023, according to a report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The statement indicates that 732 Palestinians lost their lives in the West Bank and East Jerusalem between October 7 and October 21, 2023, with 715 of those deaths attributed to Israeli troops.

The report also notes that 23 Israelis were killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the same period, including 16 members of the Israel Defense Forces.

The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants infiltrated Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of border settlements and taking hostages. In response, Israel launched a military operation in the enclave aimed at dismantling Hamas's military and political infrastructure and liberating the hostages. Hamas described its attack as a reaction to aggressive actions by Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Israel announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and began delivering airstrikes on the enclave, as well as certain parts of Lebanon and Syria, followed by a ground operation in Gaza. Clashes continue in the West Bank as well.