THE Gaza-based health authority said on Friday that the current round of conflict had killed 9,257 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since it broke out on Oct 7.
As reported by Palestine News Agency citing data from the Palestinian health ministry, the recent clashes with the Israeli army have resulted in the deaths of 144 people in the West Bank.
In Israel, more than 1,400 people have lost their lives in the current round of fighting, as reported by the Israeli Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces, or IDF, have continued their air strikes in the Gaza Strip. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari stated that they have surrounded Gaza City by land, sea, and air.
A video released by the IDF on the same day showed that the Israeli army had discovered and destroyed several underground tunnels built by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli tanks and armored personnel carriers advanced in columns, under the cover of the air force and with armored bulldozers clearing the way, in order to avoid possible ambushes and explosive devices set up by Hamas armed forces along the roads.
In response to the ground fighting, Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades claimed that they had killed more than 20 Israeli soldiers in the past few days.
Hamas launched a raid on an Israeli army squad in the northwest Gaza Strip, killing four Israeli soldiers.
Although the Israeli army has not yet confirmed it, Hamas armed forces’ raids through underground tunnels have caused considerable trouble to the Israeli army.
At the same time, Hamas continued to fire rockets toward different locations in Israel, as air defense sirens were still sounded across a wide range of areas in Israel, especially in the northern and central areas.
Sderot, an Israeli city closest to the country’s border with the Gaza Strip, is among the areas most exposed to rocket attacks.
In the first week of the current round of conflict, a total of nearly 30,000 local residents have been evacuated by the Israeli government.
Israeli army set up a checkpoint on a trunk road in Sderot, which directly leads to the Gaza Strip, to impose strict restrictions and inspections on vehicles passing by.
