Israel-Palestine Escalation
Israel was hit by an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip on October 7, with Hamas movement's troops infiltrating border areas. On October 8, the Israeli government announced that it had invoked Article 40 of the Basic Law, which means the country was officially in a state of war.

Photos: Aerial View of Devastation in Palestinian Territories

On October 7, Palestinian Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip entered southern Israel in a surprise attack, leading Israel to declare war on Hamas in Gaza on October 8.
Sputnik
In response to the Hamas' "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation against Israel, Jerusalem launched a large-scale military operation, "Iron swords," which included airstrikes against targets, civilian objects as well, in the territory of the Gaza Strip.
According to the country's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the ongoing operation of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) was expected to become the last of its kind and result in the disappearance of Hamas.
The escalation resulted in thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of displaced people. As for the death toll, since October 7 the number of people killed in Palestine exceeded 5,000 while in Israel over 1,400 were murdered.
Speaking about displacement as a result of the aggravation, the Times of Israel newspaper reported, citing authorities, that around 200,000 Israelis have been forced to leave their homes. Meanwhile, according to the United Nations, over 1 million Palestinians were displaced.
Take a look at Sputnik Africa's gallery to see the devastating consequences of the Israeli airstrikes on Palestine.
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An aerial view shows destoyed buildings in al-Zahra city south of Gaza City on October 20, following Israeli bombardment overnight.

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Palestinians inspect the rubble of buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike at Al Shati Refugee Camp on October 12.

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A young boy looks on as people check the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday.

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Smoke rises during an Israeli strike on Gaza City on October 11.
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A Palestinian child watches as smoke billows on the horizon after an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on October 13.

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This aerial view shows people standing before destroyed buildings at the site of the Ahli Arab hospital in central Gaza on October 18, in the aftermath of an overnight strike there.

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Palestinians search for survivors from a building destroyed in Israeli bombardment in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip on Thursday.

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A Palestinian kid looks at he buildings destroyed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah on Sunday.

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Destruction from Israeli aerial bombardment is seen in Gaza City on October 11.

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People inspect the ruins of a building destroyed in Israeli strikes in Gaza City on October 8.
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Smoke rises from the rubble of a building levelled by an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on October 8.
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The sun rises behind a damaged building over the skyline of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 19.