Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 49,617 as Israel renews strikes

The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has climbed to 49,617, with 112,950 others injured, as a result of more than 17 months of Israeli military operations, the Gaza health authorities said on Thursday.

Since the latest round of hostilities started on Oct 7, 2023, Israeli forces have conducted sustained military actions in Gaza, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and inflicting heavy casualties.

On Jan 19 this year, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. As part of the first phase of the agreement, the Israeli military allowed residents of the Gaza Strip to cross the Netzarim Corridor at the end of January to return to their homes in northern Gaza.

Israel ended the two-month ceasefire and resumed Gaza bombardment on Tuesday.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Israeli military said it had launched a "targeted ground operation" in central and southern Gaza, aiming to create a buffer zone between the northern and southern parts of the Palestinian enclave.

The latest Israeli attacks have killed at least 710 Palestinians and injured 900 others in Gaza since Tuesday, Khalil al-Daqran, a spokesman for Gaza health authorities, said on Thursday.

Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 49,617 as Israel renews strikes

Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 49,617 as Israel renews strikes

Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 49,617 as Israel renews strikes

Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 49,617 as Israel renews strikes

Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 49,617 as Israel renews strikes

Yemen's Houthi group said on Saturday that international shipping through the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait remained near normal even as intense ground fighting raged along its shores.

In a statement released through Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, the group said 73 international vessels, including container ships and other commercial vessels, crossed the strait over the previous 48 hours.

It said 36 vessels transited the waterway on Thursday and 37 on Friday, equivalent to 98.6 percent of the average daily traffic recorded before the Houthis imposed a ban on Saudi vessels on July 20.

The group noted that international navigation remained "free, safe and smooth," while stressing that Saudi vessels remained excluded.

Houthi forces on Friday consolidated control over Yemen's western coast and key areas around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, following their capture of the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha a day earlier.

Bab al-Mandab connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and serves as a critical gateway for trade and energy shipments between Asia and Europe.

Yemen's conflict began in late 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of the internationally recognized government.

Yemen's Houthis say Bab al-Mandab Strait shipping near normal despite fighting