21 Palestinians killed Wednesday in Israeli attacks across Gaza Strip: civil defense

At least 21 Palestinians, including a paramedic, were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza said.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense, said the Israeli army had been carrying out artillery and airstrikes on Gaza City and Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip since dawn, targeting tents sheltering displaced people and residential buildings.

In the latest attack, an Israeli drone struck a tent housing displaced people in the al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis, killing three, including two women and a paramedic, according to Basal.

He added that 14 people, including three children and five women, were killed and several others wounded in artillery shelling on the outskirts of the Zeitoun and Tuffah neighborhoods east of Gaza City. Some of the wounded were taken to Al-Shifa Medical Complex.

Earlier, four people, including a child, were killed in Israeli artillery shelling that targeted tents sheltering displaced people in the Qizan Rashwan area south of Khan Younis. The victims were taken to Nasser Medical Complex in the city.

Also on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that militants opened fire on its troops during routine operations near the northern Gaza border, severely injuring an Israeli reserve officer.

Upon identifying the fire, IDF armored units and IAF aircraft conducted precise strikes in the area. The IDF views this attack as a blatant violation of the current ceasefire agreement, it said.

In response, Hamas dismissed the Israeli claim as a "flimsy pretext" to justify continued killings in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli escalation was "an attempt to impose a permanent reality of abuse and terrorism in Gaza", in flagrant disregard for the terms of the ceasefire agreement and existing understandings, Hamas said, calling for immediate international pressure to stop Israel's violations.

Since a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect on October 10, 2025, Israel has killed 556 Palestinians and wounded 1,500 others, according to Gaza-based health authorities on Wednesday.

21 Palestinians killed Wednesday in Israeli attacks across Gaza Strip: civil defense

China will step up efforts to expand imports in 2026 through coordinated domestic and international initiatives, as the country has become the world's second-largest consumer and import market, the Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday.

In 2026, China will further encourage Chinese companies to go global while inviting more foreign businesses to enter the Chinese market by holding import promotion events through multiple channels and in diverse formats both at home and abroad.

"We will enhance the synergy between the 'Export to China' initiative and the 'Shopping in China' campaign. By integrating these efforts with consumption-boosting programs such as 'Premium Consumption Month' and the 'International Consumption Season', we aim to bring in more high-quality imported products and services and help them perform well in the Chinese market. At the same time, we expect to see more vertical and horizontal coordination among diverse market players, and better online-offline connectivity, to continuously raise the quality and efficiency of imports," said Wang Zhihua, director of the Department of Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Commerce.

The first event in 2026 under the theme "Export to China to Share the Big Market" was held in Beijing. The ministry said it will host more than 100 related events throughout the year to support a wider range of high-quality global goods and services entering the Chinese market.

China to expand imports with supportive measures in 2026: Commerce Ministry