At least 52 killed, dozens wounded in Israel's heavy strikes on Gaza's Rafah -- media

GAZA, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- At least 52 were killed and dozens wounded in the Israeli army's heavy strikes on the southern city of Rafah and surrounding areas of the Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera reported Monday.

The Israeli army said it conducted "a series of strikes" on southern Gaza on Monday, but did not provide other details.

The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 28,176 since Oct. 7, 2023, with 67,784 others being injured, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, about half of the residents there have fled to Rafah, adjacent to Egypt, in search of safety.

The border city, which receives food and medicine aid from foreign countries and UN agencies through the Rafah crossing, is crowded with tents on empty agricultural lands, in schools and along roadsides.