The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 63,459, with 160,256 others injured since the conflict between Hamas and Israel erupted on Oct 7, 2023, Gaza's health authorities said in a statement on Sunday.
Over the past 24 hours, Israeli attacks on the enclave have killed 88 people and wounded 421 others, according to the statement.
Since Israel resumed military operations in Gaza on March 18 following a brief ceasefire, 11,328 people have been killed and another 48,215 injured, it said.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said in a brief statement on Sunday that children in Gaza are not going to school and are being forced, once again, to seek a safe place.
"There is nowhere safe, not enough space, not even enough tents," the statement continued, noting that the intense Israeli military operation in Gaza City is "pushing thousands of people into the unknown."
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas's armed wing, was killed in a strike in the Gaza Strip.
Katz made the announcement in a post on the social media platform X, adding that "soon, as the campaign against Gaza intensifies," more Hamas figures would be targeted.
Hamas has not yet responded to the announcement.
Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 63,459
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's official visit to China signals a policy shift towards building a more pragmatic relationship between the two countries, according to a Canadian researcher.
Carney arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to begin an official visit to China through Saturday, which marks the first trip by a Canadian Prime Minister to the country in eight years.
Robert Hanlon, director and principal investigator of Canada and the Asia Pacific Policy Project (CAPPP) at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, told the China Global Television Network (CGTN) that Carney's visit indicates Canada is recalibrating its strategic perception of China, which could cement the foundation for the country's economic diversification efforts and boost the development of bilateral cooperation.
"I think it's a clear message that he has moved Canada's strategy to a much more pragmatic, interest-based, -focused relationship with our trading partners, moving away from values-based narratives that we might have heard on previous governments. Canada has spoken about moving from what the Prime Minister's Office is calling "from reliance to resilience", and that means diversifying our economies and our trade everywhere in the world. And so China being our second largest trading partner, it makes perfect sense for our PM to head to Beijing," he said.
The scholar also noted the huge cooperation potential between the two sides in economic and trade fields, citing Canada's efforts to step up shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the planned construction of an oil pipeline in Alberta which aims to increase export access to Asian markets. "Canada and China both share tremendous economic opportunities together and so finding ways to enhance our exports. Canada specifically looking to build out its LNG and oil, kind of export market. We know Canada is a major producer of critical minerals and China is a buyer. And so there's a lot of synergy between that kind of those kind of markets," he said.
Canadian PM's visit to China paves way for more pragmatic trade ties: scholar
