Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 63,371, around 660,000 children deprived of schooling

The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip had risen to 63,371, with 159,835 others injured since the latest round of the conflict between Hamas and Israel erupted on Oct 7, 2023, Gaza's health authorities said in a statement on Saturday.

Also on Saturday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said that around 660,000 children in Gaza have been deprived of schooling for the third year running amid devastating Israeli strikes.

Describing the ongoing war in Gaza as "a war on children that must stop," UNRWA called for an immediate ceasefire to allow children to return to school and regain a normal life.

Israel has been carrying out a large-scale military operation in Gaza since October 7, 2023, after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.

China's securities regulator has pledged to prioritize market stability and resolutely prevent sharp fluctuations as a core objective for 2026, aiming to consolidate sound development of the capital market.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) made the commitment at its annual work conference on Thursday, where the regulator reviewed the past year's performance and outlined key tasks for 2026.

In 2025, listed companies distributed a combined total of 2.68 trillion yuan (about 380 billion U.S. dollars) in cash dividends and share buybacks throughout the year, further consolidating the momentum for high-quality development.

Initial public offerings (IPOs) and follow-on offerings reached a combined 1.26 trillion yuan, while the exchange bond market issued various bonds totaling 16.3 trillion yuan.

Eighteen futures and options products were smoothly listed, demonstrating the robust functioning of the multi-tiered capital market.

The meeting emphasized that while the capital market currently shows stable and sound performance, it still faces complex and severe challenges posed by intertwined domestic and external risks as well as the overlapping of persisting and emerging issues.

Efforts will be made to effectively enhance the intrinsic stability of the market, the CSRC said, adding that it will rigorously investigate and punish excessive speculation, market manipulation, and other illegal activities to prevent sharp market fluctuations.

It will work to foster a market ecosystem where "long-term capital engages in long-term investment," the regulator said, pledging efforts to broaden the channels for medium and long-term capital inflows, introduce various products and risk management tools suited to long-term investment, and actively guide long-term, rational and value-based investment.

It also vowed to enhance the inclusiveness and adaptability of the multi-tiered equity market, crack down on illegal activities such as financial fraud, price manipulation and insider trading, and enhance corporate governance among listed firms.

The CSRC will advance the two-way opening up of the capital market in 2026.

Efforts will be made to expedite the implementation of the optimized Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor scheme, expand the scope of futures products accessible to foreign investors, and enhance the facilitation of cross-border investment and financing, the regulator said.