Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 40,878

The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 40,878, the Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Thursday.

Over the past 24 hours, the Israeli army killed 17 people and wounded 56 others in Gaza, bringing the total death toll to 40,878 and the injuries to 94,454, it said.

Palestinian security sources reported that an Israeli drone targeted a gathering in northern Rafah, a city located in the southern Gaza Strip. Medical sources said two people were killed in the attack.

The Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza said in a press statement that a Palestinian was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a tent sheltering displaced people west of Khan Younis city in southern Gaza.

Meanwhile, ambulance and civil defense crews retrieved the bodies of three Palestinians, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a gathering near a school-turned shelter for the displaced in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, according to local sources and eyewitnesses.

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that five Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting their vehicle in Tubas, which is located in northwestern West Bank.

A sixth man was shot dead by Israeli forces in the Far'a camp south of Tubas, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said, adding that the army delayed access to the victim for several hours.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it conducted a drone strike on the Far'a camp and three more strikes in Tubas on early Thursday. The IDF stated these strikes targeted Palestinian gunmen who were shooting and hurling explosive devices at troops during a raid.

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that since Aug. 28, Israeli military operations across the West Bank have resulted in 39 Palestinian deaths and 145 injuries. The ministry added that 691 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict in October 2023.

Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed, and more than 200 others were taken hostage.

Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 40,878

Authorities in east China's coastal provinces Zhejiang and Jiangsu have launched emergency evacuation of residents to help mitigate the impact of Typhoon Bebinca -- the 13th typhoon of the year.

In Zhejiang's Pinghu City, communities have started the relocation work. The old town area of Xindai, home to about 1,400 permanent residents, including some 30 percent elderly, has been a focus of evacuation efforts.

Over 50 elderly residents have been evacuated to a temporary courtyard shelter, where they have plenty of space for meals and walking around. The shelter is equipped with folding beds, food, drinking water and medical staff standing by to address any health concerns.

The province also raised its emergency response for typhoon prevention to level II.

In Jiangsu Province, Nantong City has conducted comprehensive safety inspections and organized evacuations in key areas.

Nantong's Rugao Port on the Yangtze River was shutdown on Sunday afternoon.

All workers at the Zhangjiagang-Jingjiang-Rugao Bridge construction site -- located at a river shoal -- are evacuated ahead of the storm attack.

"From the temporary ferry to the Rugao-Zhangjiagang ferry, we have evacuated a total of 428 people. So far, all construction personnel of the Zhangjinggao Bridge within the scope of this construction site have been evacuated to our shelter," said Ding Xiaoxing, chief engineer of Rugao Water Affairs Department.

Authorities in Nantong has evacuated more than 1,400 people and over 200 vessels along the coastal area under its jurisdiction.

Making landfall in Shanghai on Monday morning, Typhoon Bebinca is the most powerful tropical cyclone directly hitting the Chinese financial hub in more than seven decades.

Zhejiang, Jiangsu evacuate residents as Typhoon Bebinca lands in east China