Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 54,772

The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has so far risen to 54,772, with 125,834 others injured, since the outbreak of the conflict between Hamas and Israel on Oct 7, 2023, said Gaza's health authorities on Saturday.

Since Israel resumed its intensified military campaign on March 18, a total of 4,497 Palestinians have been killed and 13,793 others injured, according to the health authorities.

Meanwhile, Israel continued its military operations in Gaza on Saturday. Palestinian media reports that since the early hours of Saturday morning, at least 34 people were killed due to Israeli attacks.

Several sources, including Al Jazeera, said that the Israeli army attacked a humanitarian aid distribution center in Rafah in southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, resulting in at least six deaths.

The Israeli military has not yet responded to these claims.

On Saturday, Gaza health authorities said fuel deliveries to the area are facing significant obstacles, leaving hospitals struggling to maintain operations with fuel reserves sufficient for only three days.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday that the health system in the Gaza Strip is collapsing. It stated that no hospitals are functioning in northern Gaza, calling for urgent protection of Nasser Medical Complex and Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 54,772

At least 89 people were killed and about 200 others injured over the past two days in escalating clashes between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes in southern Syria's Sweida province, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Syrian defense authority, in a statement carried by the state-run SANA news agency, put the death toll at more than 30 and the injuries at some 100.

Attributing the escalating clashes to a breakdown of institutional control, the Syrian defense authority stated that specialized military units had been deployed to separate the warring factions and secure evacuation routes for civilians. The defense authority urged restraint, warned that continued fighting would only deepen civilian suffering, and affirmed its commitment to restoring stability through coordinated operations with interior forces.

Footage shared by China Global Television Network (CGTN) showed armed fighters clashing late Monday in Sweida, with fierce exchanges of fire between the conflicting parties.

The root of the conflict lies in an earlier incident where a young Druze man was assaulted and robbed by armed Bedouins at a temporary checkpoint near al-Masmiyah. In retaliation, local Druze fighters detained several Bedouin members, escalating the situation.

89 killed in escalating Druze-Bedouin clashes in Syria's Sweida: war monitor