687 Killed In Israeli Attacks, Over 123,000 People Internally Displaced In Gaza

The following are the latest developments related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:

The death toll and injuries from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have risen to 687 and 3,726, respectively, according to the latest update by the Palestinian Health Ministry on Monday.

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Saturday launched a surprise attack on Israeli towns adjacent to the Gaza Strip, prompting Israel to launch retaliatory strikes on Gaza.

During the attack, Hamas militants broke through the security fence that separate the Gaza Strip from Israel and stormed nearby communities, killing and capturing Israelis.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV reported on Monday that the death toll from Hamas' attack on southern Israel rose to more than 900.

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Israel's army said Tuesday that it holds about 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants found in Israel on the fourth day of unprecedented battles with Hamas.

"Approximately 1,500 bodies of Hamas (militants) were found in Israel around the Gaza Strip," Richard Hecht, Israeli Defence Forces's international spokesperson said in a briefing to reporters.

Hecht said security forces had "more or less restored control" over the area of the security fence around Gaza, which was breached on Saturday by Hamas militants. He added that 35 battalions were deployed in the area around the coastal Palestinian enclave.

The evacuation of residents of communities adjacent to the border had been "nearly completed," he added.

At least 900 people have been killed in Israel, while about 130 civilians and soldiers are being held hostage in Gaza, according to Israeli state media and armed groups in the enclave.

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Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations said on Monday the country is not involved in the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement's (Hamas) military operation against Israel, according to the official news agency IRNA.

The Iranian mission said in a statement, however, the country "unflinchingly stands in solidarity with the Palestinian nation."

Hamas' recent decisions and measures have "strong roots in the cardinal principle of people's right to self-determination, which is indicative of a completely legitimate response to seven decades of Israel's cruel occupation," said the statement.

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More than 123,000 people have been internally displaced in Gaza as a result of ongoing Israeli attacks, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Monday.

Israeli airstrikes and shelling have hit houses and apartment buildings, with four large residential towers in Gaza City destroyed. Six healthcare workers have been killed and four others injured, with seven healthcare facilities and nine ambulances damaged, said the office.

Damage to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities has undermined services to more than 400,000 people in Gaza. The Gaza Power Plant is now the only source of electricity and could run out of fuel within days, it warned.
-XINHUA