Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 72,032: health authorities

The death toll in the war-torn Gaza Strip has risen to 72,032 since the conflict between Hamas and Israel erupted on Oct 7, 2023, with injuries reaching 171,661, Gaza's health authorities said on Monday.

The authorities reported that five bodies and 10 wounded people were brought to hospitals in Gaza over the last 24 hours.

At least four Palestinians were killed and several others injured on Monday evening in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a residential apartment in Gaza City, according to Palestinian medical sources and eyewitnesses.

Media reports said that an Israeli helicopter fired a missile at an apartment in the al-Nasr neighborhood in western Gaza City, causing a loud explosion that was heard across large parts of the city.

The Israeli army did not immediately comment on the strike.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem accused Israel of escalating its violations of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza by targeting civilian homes under what he described as "false pretexts."

Qassem called on all parties to take a clear stance to "compel the occupation to halt its violations."

According to Palestine's official news agency, the Israeli army continued to carry out surprise attacks and demolition operations across the West Bank on Monday, causing many injuries and forcibly detaining more than 20 Palestinians, including women and children.

On the same day, the Israeli military issued a statement confirming that on the early morning of Monday, the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Security Agency conducted joint operations in multiple areas of the West Bank, during which more than 20 armed personnel were arrested.

Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 72,032: health authorities

Global food commodity prices climbed for a second consecutive month in March, driven mainly by higher energy costs linked to escalating conflict in the Middle East, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said in report released on Friday.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a basket of globally traded food commodities, averaged 128.5 points in March, up 2.4 percent from February and 1.0 percent above its level a year ago.

According to the report, the FAO Vegetable Oil Index and Sugar Price Index showed the largest increases, up 5.1 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively.

The FAO Cereal Price Index increased by 1.5 percent from the previous month, driven primarily by higher world wheat prices, which rose 4.3 percent.

The FAO Meat Price Index rose by 1.0 percent from the previous month, and the FAO All-Rice Price Index declined by 3.0 percent in March, according to the report.

FAO stated that rising energy and fertilizer prices have been driving up agricultural input costs.

If the conflict stretches beyond 40 days, farmers will have to choose to farm the same with fewer inputs, plant less, or switch to less intensive fertilizer crops, according to FAO Chief Economist Maximo Torero.

These choices will hit future yields and shape food supply and commodity prices for the rest of this year and beyond, Torero said.

Global food prices rise for 2nd consecutive month in March amid Middle East conflict: FAO