Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 67,183

The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 67,183, with 169,841 others injured since the conflict between Hamas and Israel erupted on October 7, 2023, Gaza's health authorities said in a statement on Wednesday.

Israeli military operations in Gaza over the past 24 hours have killed 10 Palestinians and injured 61 others, the health authorities said.

In a separate statement also issued on Wednesday, the Hamas-run Gaza government media office highlighted the severe impact of the hostilities on frontline professionals and civilians over the past two years.

The office reported that the Israeli offensive has, on average, claimed the lives of two medical personnel daily, one journalist every three days, and one civil defense worker every five days.

An average of 232 Palestinians are wounded each day, with more than half of them being children and women, the statement said, adding that the Israeli military conducts at least one attack on the local health system daily.

Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 67,183

Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 67,183

Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 67,183

Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 67,183

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index closed higher on Friday thanks to the strong performance of the gold and jewelry stocks, said Timothy Pope, a market analyst for China Global Television Network (CGTN).

Hong Kong equities closed higher on Friday, with the benchmark Hang Seng Index gaining 1.93 percent to finish at 24,718.10 points.

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rose 1.91 percent to 8,374.43 points, while the Hang Seng Tech Index edged up 1.06 percent to 4,705.20 points.

"The Hang Seng Index rose 1.9 percent with gains in almost every sector. In Hong Kong we saw gold and jewelery stocks among the top performers, with jewelery chain Chow Tai Fook up more than 15 percent. But risk appetite was clearly more present today, if only in relief that the situation in the Middle East isn't escalating further - although, I think, the market would be steady to have the Strait of Hormuz open again," Pope said.

Hang Seng gains amid strong gold, jewelry market: analyst