Palestinian death toll in Israeli attacks exceeds 23,000 in Gaza

The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip exceeded 23,000, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said on Monday, reported Xinhua.

The ministry said in a press statement that the Israeli army killed 249 Palestinians and wounded 510 others during the past 24 hours.

This brings the total number of deaths to 23,084 and injuries to 58,926 since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct. 7, 2023, it noted.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced that it assassinated a Hamas commander in Syria on Monday, saying the Hamas official was in charge of rocket attacks against Israel.

"We eliminated Hassan Akasha in Beit Jann town in (southern) Syria. He was a key figure responsible for Hamas' rocket launches from Syrian territory toward Israel in recent weeks," the military spokesman Daniel Hagari told a press conference.

The army said in a separate statement that it "will not allow terrorism from Syrian territory and hold Syria responsible for all activity emanating from its territory."

The killing came amid the ongoing deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas, which takes place mainly in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

Earlier on Monday, Israel reportedly killed Wissam Hassan Tawil, a senior commander of Hezbollah's elite Radwan forces, in Lebanon. Israel did not comment on the incident.