GAZA/TEHERAN/UNITED NATIONS/GENEVA - The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has surpassed 59,000 since the outbreak of the conflict on Oct 7, 2023, the Gaza-based health authorities said on Monday.

In a press statement, the health authorities said that a total of 59,029 Palestinians have been killed and 142,135 others injured in the ongoing Israeli military operations.

The health authorities added that 8,196 fatalities and 30,094 injuries were recorded since March 18, reflecting a surge in hostilities in recent weeks.

ALSO READ: Israel slammed for Gaza displacement order and killings at food delivery points

According to the latest update, 134 bodies were transferred to Gaza hospitals in the past 24 hours. Additionally, 1,155 people sustained various injuries due to continued airstrikes and shelling during the period, the authorities said, warning of a potential rise in the figure as many victims were still trapped beneath the rubble.

Both local and international humanitarian organizations have voiced growing alarm over what they described as the "rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation," and the failure of aid mechanisms to ensure safe and effective delivery.

"There is an urgent need to establish secure humanitarian corridors and guarantee the safety of civilians attempting to access life-saving supplies," said a joint statement from NGOs operating in the Gaza Strip.

Medical sources in Gaza also warned that hospitals and health centers across the enclave are operating under extreme pressure and facing severe shortages of medicines, medical supplies, and fuel, in addition to ongoing power outages, which pose serious risks to thousands of patients, especially those in critical condition and newborns relying on incubators powered by electricity.

The United Nations and several regional organizations have repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of internationally monitored aid routes, but efforts toward a durable humanitarian solution have yet to yield results.

Detains Gaza medic

Gaza's health authorities said on Monday that a senior official was detained by Israeli special forces disguised in civilian clothing near a field hospital in southern Gaza.

In a press statement, the health authorities said Marwan Al-Hams, director of Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital and head of Gaza's field hospital operations, was detained while on his way to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) field hospital in the city of Rafah.

According to the statement, Israeli forces opened fire on the ambulance transporting Al-Hams, killing one of his companions and injuring two others, including the driver. Palestinian journalist Tamer Al-Zaanin was also killed in the incident.

READ MORE: Dozens of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on aid center in Gaza

The Hamas-run government media office in Gaza condemned the abduction and the use of force, describing it as "a grave violation of international humanitarian law."

It called on the ICRC to "take a clear and firm stance" on the matter.

"Targeting medical personnel during the performance of their humanitarian duties constitutes a blatant breach of the Geneva Conventions," the Gaza media office said, urging the international community to intervene and ensure the protection of Gaza's healthcare sector.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military over the incident.

Halt Israeli crimes

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan on Monday highlighted the necessity to take immediate actions to stop Israeli "crimes" in Gaza and the West Asia region.

In a phone call, the two sides discussed the latest regional developments, especially the escalation of Israel's attacks "against the defenseless people of Gaza" and its "military aggressions" against Syria, according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

ALSO READ: UN chief says Gaza truce ‘not enough’

Araghchi strongly condemned the escalating Israeli "crimes" against Palestinians in Gaza, especially through depriving them of food and water.

He called on Muslim countries to take serious and immediate measures, including convening emergency meetings of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and activating regional consultative mechanisms, to halt what he termed Israel's "genocide in Gaza" and to counter its "warmongering" across the West Asia region.

Fidan, for his part, condemned Israel's "crimes and aggressions" against Gaza and Syria, stressing the need for immediate and coordinated actions by Islamic countries to cease Israel's "criminal actions".

28 countries condemn Israel

Twenty-eight countries and the European Union Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management issued a joint statement on Monday, condemning Israel for the suffering of civilians in Gaza.

"The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians," said the statement. "It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid."

"The Israeli Government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable. Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law," the statement added, urging an immediate end to the war in Gaza.

The statement called on the Israeli government to "immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid and to urgently enable the UN and humanitarian NGOs to do their life-saving work safely and effectively."

Signed by the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Italy, Canada, Japan, and other Western countries, the statement also opposes any attempts to alter the territorial or demographic status of the occupied Palestinian territories.

In response, the Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected the statement as being "disconnected from reality" and accused Hamas of being "the only party responsible for the lack of a deal for the release of hostages and a ceasefire".

"The statement fails to focus the pressure on Hamas and fails to recognize Hamas's role and responsibility for the situation," the ministry said in an announcement.

Gaza losing lifelines

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warns that the last lifelines keeping Gazans alive are collapsing as the humanitarian system is being impeded, undermined and endangered, a UN spokesman said on Monday.

Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for Guterres, said the secretary-general "is appalled by the accelerating breakdown of humanitarian conditions in Gaza, where the last lifelines keeping people alive are collapsing."

Deploring the growing reports of children and adults suffering from malnutrition, Guterres strongly condemned the violence, including the shooting, killing and injuring of people attempting to get food for their families, Dujarric said.

The spokesman added that the weekend evacuation order for parts of Deir al-Balah pushes people into more desperate conditions and further displacement and restricts the United Nations' ability to deliver life-saving aid.

READ MORE: Israel expresses 'regrets' over deadly strike on Gaza church

He said that the UN staff remain in Deir al-Balah and that two of their guesthouses, which are inviolable, came under fire, despite informing the Israeli military of their locations. There were no injuries among staff members, although the guesthouses suffered damage.

Dujarric said the sites must be protected, regardless of evacuation orders, as with all civilian locations.

"The secretary-general reiterates his urgent call for the protection of civilians, including humanitarian personnel and for the provision of essential resources to ensure their survival," the spokesman said.

Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, adding that the United Nations stands ready to scale up humanitarian operations.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that amid shelling, displacement and destruction, it received deeply concerning reports of severely malnourished people who are arriving at medical points and hospitals in feeble health.

On Sunday, the World Food Programme (WFP) reported that a convoy carrying vital food assistance crossing from Israel into Gaza encountered large crowds of desperate and hungry civilians.

The WFP said that as the convoy approached, the surrounding crowd came under fire from Israeli tanks and snipers. The agency said it is deeply concerned and saddened by this tragic incident resulting in the loss of countless lives. Many more suffered life-threatening injuries.

OCHA said the consistent and safe delivery of aid at scale must be facilitated to reach more than 2 million people on the brink of famine.

OCHA said that initial estimates indicate that 50,000-80,000 people were in the area at the time the order was issued, including 30,000 people sheltering in 57 displacement sites.

ALSO READ: Sources: At least 40 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza

Several primary health clinics and medical facilities are within the newly designated area, along with the Southern Gaza Desalination Plant, and other vital water infrastructure.

The plant is a primary source of drinking water for the displaced in Al Mawasi, serving hundreds of thousands of people. The office said that loss of the facility would be catastrophic.

OCHA said that as of early July, 80 percent of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities fall within the Israeli-militarized zone or in areas that have been placed under displacement orders. In June, it was estimated that 93 percent of households had no water.

The office said that while UN staff remain in Deir al-Balah, its humanitarian partners have relocated to the northern part of Deir al-Balah or Al Mawasi.

OCHA said that 87.7 percent of Gaza is now under displacement orders or within Israeli-militarized zones, squeezing 2.1 million people into a fragmented area of the strip, where hardly any services are available.

UN agencies report that approximately 1.35 million people need shelter and household items. Frequent disassembly and reassembly of tents and tarpaulins lead to a shorter lifespan of shelter items, further exacerbating the dire situation.

Shelter supplies have not been allowed to enter Gaza for more than four months.

In addition, the fuel crisis continues. OCHA said that the limited quantities allowed to enter Gaza in recent days are hardly sufficient. UN agencies and partners are prioritizing this fuel for the most critical operations.

"The Israeli authorities must facilitate the unhindered provision of urgently needed humanitarian assistance, including fuel, food, aid and shelter items, into and throughout the strip, to enable humanitarians to provide life-saving services for the deprived population," OCHA said.

WHO: Israel attacks Gaza sites

As the World Health Organization (WHO) said the Israeli military attacked its staff residence and main warehouse in Gaza on Monday, a move the agency said severely undermined its ability to operate in the region and accelerated the collapse of the local health system.

The WHO said in a statement that its staff residence in the city of Deir al-Balah in Gaza was attacked three times on Monday, and its main warehouse was destroyed. It condemned the attacks "in the strongest terms."

READ MORE: Gazans pin hopes on new round of peace talks between Hamas, Israel

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X that the Israeli military entered the agency's premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot, while male staff and family members were "handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot and screened at gunpoint."

Two staff members and two of their family members were detained. Three were later released, while one remains in custody, said Tedros, who called for the immediate release of the detained staff member and urged full protection for all WHO personnel.

He also called on member states to help ensure a sustained and regular flow of medical supplies into Gaza.

"A ceasefire is not just necessary, it is overdue," he said.