CAIRO, November 21. /TASS/. Over 44,000 Palestinians have been killed and almost 104,300 have been injured in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the military operation in the enclave in October, 2023, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported.

"The number of victims of the Israeli army in Gaza has increased to 44,056 since October last year; 104,268 people were injured," the ministry said on its Telegram channel. The health ministry also pointed out that, in the past 24 hours, "71 Palestinians were killed and 176 got injured" by Israeli bombings and artillery strikes.

The situation in the Middle East escalated dramatically when on October 7, 2023 armed Hamas supporters from the Gaza Strip penetrated Israeli territory, killing residents of border settlements and seizing more than 240 hostages. In retaliation, Israel launched a military operation in the enclave in order to destroy the military and political structures of Hamas and liberate all those hostages. The hostilities in the Gaza Strip continue to this day.