DUBAI, December 13. /TASS/. At least 71 people were killed in Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip in the past day, the Qatar-based Al Jazeera TV channel reports.

According to the broadcaster, the Israel Defense Forces targeted various areas in Gaza, killing at least 71 Palestinians and leaving dozens of civilians injured.

According to media reports, northwestern and central parts of the Palestinian enclave came under heavy artillery shelling. Major fires broke out in the cities of Jabalia and Beit Hanoun following Israeli strikes.

The total death toll has exceeded 44,835 since the Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalated in October 2023, while about 106,356 people have been injured.

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 hostages. In response, Israel launched a military operation in the Palestinian enclave to destroy Hamas military and political wings and free all hostages.