DUBAI, October 7. /TASS/. Approximately 12 individuals have been killed in unrelenting Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, Palestine’s WAFA news agency said.

According to it, four people were killed in Gaza City, one - in the embattled enclave’s central part, and seven people died in its southern sector.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry update on October 6, since the start of hostilities in the enclave on October 7, 2023, the death toll in Gaza has climbed to 67,160, with 169,679 wounded. That said, the agency noted that it is difficult to establish the exact death toll, as many bodies remain under the rubble, unreachable by the emergency services.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the launch of Israel’s intensive offensive operation in Gaza City, the enclave’s capital, aiming to fully defeat the Palestinian movement Hamas. Previously, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) repeatedly warned civilians about the need to leave the combat zone, including by dropping leaflets. On October 1, Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that anyone who had not yet left Gaza would be considered a terrorist.

Tensions erupted again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched a surprise incursion into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of border settlements and seizing hostages. In response, Israel initiated a military operation in the enclave to dismantle Hamas’ military and political structure and rescue all those kidnapped.