Palestinian death toll in Gaza climbs to 34,789: health authorities

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 34,789, health authorities in Gaza said in a press statement on Tuesday.

The Israeli army killed 54 people and wounded 96 others during the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 34,789 and injuries to 78,204 since the latest round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out in October last year, according to the statement.

At least one Palestinian was killed and nine others were injured by Israeli troops' gunfire during a nearly 20-hour military operation in the city of Tulkarm in the northern West Bank, Palestinian medical sources said on Tuesday.

According to Palestinian media reports, on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) air-raided Rafah City in the southern Gaza heavily, killing dozens of people.

According to media reports, as of Tuesday night, Israeli ground forces and air force continued to attack eastern Rafah, destroying residential buildings, killing more than 50 people, including babies, and injuring about 100 others.

Palestinian security and medical sources said on the same day that Israeli warplanes carried out dozens of air strikes on at least 11 residential houses in different areas of Rafah, causing heavy casualties.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement on Tuesday that the Israeli military will not stop its operation in Rafah until the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) is neutralized or Israeli detainees are released.

Gallant said Israel was willing to compromise in order to free the detainees, but if that option was taken off the table, the Israeli military would press ahead with military operations throughout the Gaza Strip.

Egypt is hosting delegations from Hamas, Israel, Qatar and the United States in Cairo on Tuesday with the aim of reaching a "comprehensive truce" in the Gaza Strip, state-affiliated Al-Qahera News TV channel reported.

The Israeli delegation, which arrived in Cairo on Tuesday afternoon, included members of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad and Shin Bet security agency, said an Egyptian source who asked to remain anonymous.

Egyptian security officials said the Qatari and U.S. delegations held talks with Egyptian security officials and a Hamas delegation.

According to media reports, the main sticking points to hammer out a ceasefire lie in whether Israel will accept a full withdrawal and permanent ceasefire, and Hamas' new proposal that the 33 Israeli detainees it releases in the first phase of the personnel swap may include the dead.

Osama Hamdan, a senior official of Hamas, said in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday that Hamas will not accept the occupation of the Rafah port by the Israeli army, and if the Israeli army does not stop military operations in Rafah, the ceasefire will not be reached.

Hamdan said that the previous ceasefire proposal agreed to by Hamas -- a result of long and difficult negotiations and mediation -- represents the minimum demand of the Gaza people and all political factions, and also ensures Hamas' demands for full withdrawal of Israeli troops, a permanent ceasefire and an end to the blockade of Gaza. Israel, however, wishes to proceed only with the part of personnel swap and then continue its military operations, which is strongly opposed by Hamas.

In a video statement on the same day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed the delegation to "continue to stand firm on the conditions necessary for the release of our hostages, continue to stand firm on the essential requirements to ensure Israel's security."

However, he noted that the ceasefire proposal, brokered by Egyptian and Qatari mediators and approved by Hamas on Monday, fell short of Israel's essential requirements.

Hamas on Tuesday called on the U.S. administration and the international community to put pressure on Israel to stop the storming of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

Hamas said in a statement the attack is "a dangerous escalation against a civilian facility protected by international law, aiming to exacerbate the humanitarian situation in the strip, by closing it and preventing the flow of emergency relief aid through it to our besieged people."

Hamas added that the escalation threatens the lives of hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians in Rafah and the entire Gaza Strip.

Israel's military said on Tuesday that it had taken control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing in an overnight attack. The crossing, which has served as a passage for humanitarian aid from Egypt to war-torn Gaza, was out of service.

On the same day, Hamas armed wing Al-Qassam Brigades said that their militants "attacked Israeli soldiers stationed around the Rafah crossing."

The Israeli raid came after Hamas told the Egyptian and Qatari sides that the movement approved their proposal regarding a ceasefire in Gaza. Hamas said it confirms Israel's intention to disrupt mediation efforts for a ceasefire and the release of prisoners.

Palestinian death toll in Gaza climbs to 34,789: health authorities

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on Saturday in Dushanbe, with both sides pledging to expand bilateral cooperation in various areas.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings and good wishes to Rahmon.

Wang noted that China and Tajikistan, linked by mountains and rivers, have cultivated a profound traditional friendship. The two sides have always respected each other, and treated each other as equals, extended mutual support at critical moments.

In May last year, Rahmon attended the China-Central Asia Summit and paid a state visit to China, during which the two heads of state jointly announced the building of a China-Tajikistan community with a shared future featuring everlasting friendship, solidarity and mutual benefit.

This set a clear goal for the development of bilateral relations and sent a positive signal to the two peoples and the world, said Wang.

China will continue to firmly support Tajikistan in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions and firmly oppose external interference in Tajikistan's internal affairs, said Wang, stressing that no matter how the international situation changes, China will always be Tajikistan's trustworthy friend and partner.

For his part, Rahmon asked Wang to convey his sincere greetings to Xi.

He said that during his visit to China last year, he and Xi had an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral cooperation and reached a series of consensuses.

With the joint efforts of the two sides, these consensuses are being implemented and important results have been achieved in cooperation in various fields, he said.

Rahmon stressed that promoting relations with China is a priority of Tajikistan's foreign policy. The Tajik side firmly upholds the one-China principle and holds that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.

Tajikistan, Rahmon said, hopes to keep close high-level exchanges with China, strengthen cooperation in such fields as economy and trade, energy, minerals, transportation, agriculture, green industry and artificial intelligence, jointly combat the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, and constantly expand and strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between Tajikistan and China.

The Tajik president noted that China plays an important role in international and regional affairs, and Tajikistan is willing to closely coordinate with China and support each other on multilateral platforms.

Wang said that China firmly supports the four development strategies of energy, transportation, food and industrialization proposed by the Tajik president, attaches importance to Tajikistan's cooperation needs, and is committed to expanding cooperation in emerging industries and helping Tajikistan improve economic development.

China is willing to deepen security cooperation with Tajikistan and resolutely combat all forms of terrorism, said Wang, adding that the two sides can strengthen cooperation in the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the China-Central Asia mechanism, safeguard the common interests of the two countries and other developing countries, and make due contributions to the prosperity and stability of the region and the world at large.

During his visit, Wang also held talks with Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin on Sunday.

China, Tajikistan vow to elevate cooperation