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The Hezbollah group Saturday urged Pope Leo XIV to reject Israeli "injustice and aggression" against Lebanon, in a message to the pontiff who arrives in Beirut this weekend.Hezbollah emerged heavily weakened from more than a year of hostilities culminating in two months of open war with Israel that began when the group started cross-border attacks against Israel over the Gaza war.A ceasefire a year ago was supposed to end the hostilities but Israel has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon, mainly saying it is targeting Hezbollah fighters and sites, and has maintained troops in five southern Lebanon locations it deems strategic.Under heavy US pressure and fears of expanded Israeli strikes, the government has committed to disarming Hezbollah, a move the group has rejected."We in Hezbollah take advantage of the occasion of your auspicious visit to our country Lebanon to reaffirm from our side our commitment to coexistence," read Hezbollah's message to the pope, published on the group's social media channels Saturday.But it also affirmed the group's commitment to "standing with our army and our people to face any aggression and occupation of our land and our country", adding that what Israel "is doing in Lebanon is unacceptable ongoing aggression"."We rely on your holiness's stance in rejecting the injustice and aggression our nation of Lebanon is subjected to at the hands of the Zionist invaders and their supporters," the statement added.In a speech on Friday, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem welcomed Leo's upcoming visit to Lebanon, saying he had tasked members of the group with delivering a letter to the pontiff that would also be published in the media.He insisted his group has respected the November 2024 ceasefire and called for an end to persistent Israeli strikes on the country."Do you expect there to be a war later? It's possible at some point, yes, that possibility exists," Qassem said, referring to increased fears in Lebanon of a renewed, broader war.After visiting Turkiye, Leo is due to arrive in Lebanon today for a three-day trip that includes an open-air mass at Beirut's waterfront which organisers expect to draw 120,000 people, as well as an interreligious meeting in the city centre.Qassem said Friday that "we welcome this visit at this pivotal moment, and we pray that the Holy Father will contribute to spreading peace in Lebanon, liberating it, ending the (Israeli) aggression, and standing by it and by the oppressed, as we have always known him to do". 

The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education announced that more than 21,000 students and teachers in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have been killed since the start of the Israeli aggression on Oct. 7, 2023.In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said that the number of students killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the Israeli aggression has reached 19,932, while 30,102 have been injured. In the occupied West Bank, 148 students were killed, 1,045 injured, and 846 arrested.The ministry added that 1,037 teachers and administrators were killed and 4,757 injured in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, while more than 228 were arrested in the West Bank.It noted that 179 government schools were completely destroyed in the Gaza Strip, along with 63 university buildings.The ministry explained that 118 government schools and more than 100 schools affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) were bombed and vandalized.The aggression led to the removal of a total of 30 schools, along with their students and teachers, from the educational register.Meanwhile, the occupation destroyed three schools in the West Bank, while eight universities and colleges were subjected to repeated raids and vandalism.

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has officially submitted its response to U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip. The announcement was made through mediators and follows extensive internal consultations.According to a statement highlighted by Qatar News Agency, Hamas said it aimed to reach a "responsible position" on the U.S. initiative, expressing its desire to halt Israeli aggression on Gaza.Hamas expressed appreciation for Arab, Islamic, and international mediation efforts, including those led by President Trump. It reaffirmed key conditions for ending the conflict, including:A call for a complete ceasefire, the exchange of prisoners, and immediate humanitarian aid access.Rejection of the ongoing occupation of the Gaza Strip and displacement of its residents.Agreement to transfer Gaza’s administration to a Palestinian body of independent technocrats, in line with national consensus and supported by Arab and Islamic partners.Acceptance of prisoner releases—both alive and deceased—as outlined in Trump’s proposal and dependent on agreed-upon field conditions.Emphasis on future governance of Gaza being tied to national Palestinian positions and international legal frameworks.Hamas stated that all remaining issues in President Trump’s proposal must align with international law and resolutions, and reflect the unified stance of the Palestinian people.

The death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, has risen to 66,148 martyrs, in addition to 168,716 wounded. In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said that hospitals in the Strip received 51 martyrs and 180 injured people in the past 24 hours, including four martyrs and 57 injured aid seekers. This brings the total number of martyrs who arrived at hospitals to 2,580, and the total number of injured to 18,930. The ministry indicated that the death toll and injuries recorded since the occupation violated the ceasefire agreement on March 18 has reached 13,280 martyrs and 56,675 wounded. The death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip remains provisional, given the thousands of additional victims trapped under the rubble, as ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them. This is due to a lack of equipment and the occupation forces' targeting of all relief operations in Gaza, amid a catastrophic humanitarian situation that has reached the level of famine.

The death toll from the Israeli occupation aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 66,005 people killed and 168,162 wounded since Oct. 7, 2023.Medical officials in Gaza told the Palestinian news agency WAFA that 79 people were killed and 379 wounded in the past 24 hours.Among those, six people were killed and 66 wounded while seeking aid, bringing the total number of people killed in aid-related incidents to 2,566 and the wounded to more than 18,769 since the start of the conflict.Since March 18, 2025, the offensive has killed 13,137 people and wounded 56,121.Many victims remain trapped under rubble or in the streets, as ambulance and civil defense teams have been unable to reach them, the officials added.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed bilateral relations and regional and international issues during a phone call with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, particularly developments in the Gaza Strip and the need to halt the Israeli aggression and ensure the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid. During the call, President Erdogan stressed the need to stop Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and prevent him from undermining peace in the region, emphasizing that the Israeli occupation government has demonstrated through its actions its lack of intention to achieve peace. Erdogan noted that the current session of the UN General Assembly witnessed significant steps toward implementing the two-state solution, stressing that Türkiye will continue its efforts to ensure the protection of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.

The death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, which began on Oct. 7, 2023, has risen to 65,382 martyrs, in addition to 166,985 wounded. In a statement on Tuesday, the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip said that hospitals in the Strip received 38 martyrs and 190 wounded in the past 24 hours. The ministry pointed out that the death toll and injuries recorded since the occupation violated the ceasefire agreement on March 18th reached 12,823 martyrs, and 54,944 wounded. The number of aid victims, during the past 24 hours, reached 3 martyrs and 15 wounded, bringing the total number of martyrs who arrived at hospitals to 2,526 martyrs, and the number of injuries to 18,511. The death toll from Israel's comprehensive aggression on the Gaza Strip remains provisional, given the presence of thousands more victims under the rubble, as ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them. This is due to a lack of equipment and the occupation forces' targeting of all relief operations in Gaza, amid a catastrophic humanitarian situation that has reached the level of famine.

The death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, which began on Oct. 7, 2023, has risen to 65,283 martyrs, in addition to 166,575 wounded, the majority of whom were children and women. In a statement on Sunday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said that hospitals in the Strip received, over the past 24 hours, the bodies of 75 martyrs (four of whom were recovered from under the rubble of destroyed buildings) and 304 wounded. The total death toll since the occupation violated the ceasefire agreement on March 18, 2025, has reached approximately 12,724 martyrs and 54,534 wounded. It also noted that the number of aid victims arriving at hospitals over the past 24 hours reached five martyrs and 24 injured, bringing the total number of aid-seeking victims arriving at hospitals to 2,523 martyrs and over 18,473 injured.

The death toll from the ongoing Israeli occupation's aggression on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, has risen to 65,208 martyrs, in addition to 166,271 wounded, most of whom are women and children.The health ministry in Gaza said that Gaza hospitals received 34 martyrs and 200 injuries in the past 24 hours, adding that since March 18, when the occupation resumed its aggression on the Gaza Strip following the ceasefire agreement, the toll has reached 12,653 martyrs along with 54,230 wounded.It noted that 4 martyrs and 18 injured aid seekers were brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of aid victims to 2,518 martyrs, and more than 18,449 injured.

The death toll from the Israeli occupation's aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 65,141 martyrs, in addition to 165,925 wounded since Oct. 7, 2023. Medical sources told the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA) on Thursday that the death toll includes 12,590 martyrs and 53,884 wounded since March 18, when the occupation resumed its aggression on the Gaza Strip following the ceasefire agreement. The sources noted that 9 martyrs and 33 injured aid seekers arrived at hospitals over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of aid victims to 1,060, and more than 7,207 injured. The sources indicated that 79 martyrs (including 13 martyrs who were recovered from under the rubble) and 282 injured people arrived at hospitals over the past 24 hours.

The death toll from the relentless Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, since Oct. 7, 2023, has risen to 64,871, with 164,610 reported wounded. A statement by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that hospitals in the enclave received 68 fatalities and 346 injuries during the latest 24-hour reporting period. Since the occupation breached the ceasefire deal on March 18, the toll has climbed to 12,321 fatalities and 52,569 injuries, the statement noted. The statement pointed out that in the past 24 hours, hospitals received 10 fatalities from those who were striving to find aid, along with eight injuries, bringing the total number of those who were trying to make a living to 2,494 deaths and 18,135 wounded. The Israeli occupation forces seem to have prosecuted a war of annihilation against Gaza and its people, giving no heed to calls from the international community to halt the killing machine and open crossings to deliver humanitarian aid, amid an unprecedented calamitous humanitarian situation.

The death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, which began on Oct. 7, 2023, has reached 64,803 martyrs and 164,264 injured.In a statement today, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said that within the last 24 hours, hospitals in the Gaza Strip received 47 martyrs and 205 injured people.The total death toll since the occupation violated the ceasefire agreement on March 18, 2025, has reached approximately 12,253 martyrs and 52,223 wounded.The statement added that five martyrs and 26 wounded have arrived at hospitals in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of those killed in the struggle for a living to 2,484, and more than 18,117 wounded.It also noted that hospitals in the Gaza Strip recorded seven new deaths, including two children, over the past 24 hours as a result of starvation and malnutrition. This brings the total number of starvation victims to 429, including 145 children.