Italy is committed to de-escalation of the Palestinian conflict, defense minister says ROME: An Italian Air Force plane took off on Saturday carrying more than 15 tonnes of humanitarian aid to be delivered to the population in Gaza, a Defense Ministry statement said. The aid aboard the C-130J aircraft, which departed from the central Italian city of Pisa, had been collected by the charity group Confederazione Nazionale delle Misericordie d’Italia, the statement said. “Italy is doing and will continue to do everything possible to alleviate the suffering of the civilian population in Gaza,” said Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, adding Italy did not forget those who are suffering and was committed to a de-escalation of the conflict. The plane will fly to Larnaca airport in Cyprus, after which all its materials will be transferred to Gaza. Earlier this year, Italy launched a flagship initiative dubbed Food for Gaza to help civilians there, and it has sent several consignments of aid to those hit by the war ravaging the Palestinian enclave. Also on Saturday, the Health Ministry in Gaza said that at least 43,799 people had been killed in more than 13 months of war. The toll includes 35 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 103,601 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began when militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The Oct. 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally of Israeli official figures. Vowing to stop militants from regrouping in north Gaza, Israel in October, this year began a major air and ground assault there. The Israeli army said earlier on Saturday that its troops continued “their operational activity” in the northern areas of Jabalia and Beit Lahia. The military said “over the past day, the troops continued to operate in the Rafah area, eliminating numerous terrorists, dismantling terrorist infrastructure sites, and locating a large amount of weapons in the area” in the territory’s south.