GAZA/RAMALLAH, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Six Palestinians were killed Sunday in two Israeli airstrikes targeting two security checkpoints of the Palestinian police force west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to Palestinian sources.
Among the deaths of the airstrikes, which took place in the al-Mawasi area, were both police officers and civilians, the sources said, adding that several others sustained injuries of varying severity.
Meanwhile, in a press statement published Sunday by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, Palestinian National Council Chairman Rawhi Fattouh said the ongoing Israeli escalation in Palestinian territories constitutes a "war crime."
Also on Sunday, the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) said in a press statement that its priority is to strengthen the resilience of the Palestinian people on their land and thwart annexation and displacement plans, ultimately leading to the end of the Israeli occupation.
According to data released Sunday by Gaza-based health authorities, the death toll since the ceasefire went into effect in October 2025 has reached 702, with 1,913 injured, raising the total number of casualties since Oct. 7, 2023, to 72,278 deaths and 172,013 injuries.
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said Sunday that the Palestinian economy contracted by 20 percent in 2025 compared with 2023, the year when the Gaza war began. But the economy saw a 3-percent growth in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. ■
