The Israeli military has dropped more than 45,000 rockets and bombs weighing over 65,000 tonnes on the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict escalated on October 7, the Government Media Office in Gaza said Wednesday.
“Aircraft of the Israeli occupier have dropped over 45,000 rockets and huge bombs on the Gaza Strip during the genocide war, some of which contained 2,000 pounds of explosives,” the office said in a statement.
The office added that the weight of the explosives dropped on the Gaza Strip is more than 65,000 tonnes.
On October 7, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip while its fighters breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 22,000 people have been killed so far in Gaza as a result of Israeli strikes, local authorities said.
On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. Over 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.
