Border inspection agencies across China recorded 4.885 million visa-free international tourists during the third quarter of this year, representing a year-on-year increase of 78.6 percent, according to the National Immigration Administration on Friday.
A total of 8.186 million inbound trips were made by foreign nationals, up 48.8 percent from the same period last year. In July, China issued new visa-free entry and transit policies, granting 144-hour visa-free entry to foreigners visiting the southern island province of Hainan via tour groups registered in the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions. Additionally, the country's 144-hour visa-free transit policy has been expanded to three more entry ports in central China's Henan Province and southwest China's Yunnan Province.
The NIA noted that border ports nationwide had taken active measures to forecast and control entry-exit traffic, operate sufficient checkpoints for travelers and effectively mitigate the impact of extreme weather on the customs clearance processes.
China sees 78.6 pct surge in visa-free int'l tourists in Q3
The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 45,658, with 108,583 others injured, the Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Friday.
In the past 24 hours alone, at least 77 people were killed and 145 others were injured in Gaza, according to the statement.
Israeli airstrikes targeted Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip on Friday, killing seven people, including four children. Several others were injured, some of whom are in critical condition.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has threatened medical teams, patients, and staff at Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza, warning that the facility will be bombed unless they evacuate immediately.
The Hamas-run media office reported on Friday that the Israel Defense Forces continue to destroy hospitals in northern Gaza, leaving approximately 40,000 Palestinians without access to medical services.
On the same day, the Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Amy Pope, stated that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened due to freezing winter temperatures and recent rainfall. Meanwhile, humanitarian aid entering the region remains severely limited, leaving residents in urgent need of shelters and other essential supplies.
According to a UN report released in mid-December last year, at least 945,000 Gazans are in urgent need of winter items such as warm clothing, blankets, and tarpaulins.
The IOM has reiterated its call for all parties involved in the conflict to immediately cease fire, release detainees, protect Gaza's civilians, and ensure the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid.
Hamas confirmed on Friday that indirect negotiations with Israel have resumed in Doha, Qatar, with the goal of achieving a complete ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement, Hamas said that the latest round of talks is expected to focus on achieving a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire, securing the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and facilitating the safe and prompt return of displaced Palestinians to their homes.
Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks in Gaza rises to 45,658
Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks in Gaza rises to 45,658
