Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 68,527 amid fragile ceasefire

The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 68,527, with 170,395 injuries since the conflict between Hamas and Israel erupted on Oct 7, 2023, Gaza's health authorities said in a statement on Monday.

In the past 24 hours, hospitals across the enclave had received eight deceased and 13 injured, the statement added.

According to the statement, 93 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed and 337 others injured since a new ceasefire came into effect on Oct 10.

On the same day, Khalil Al-Daqran, a spokesman for Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah, said that the Israel Defense Forces had not allowed the entry of medical aid, leading to the spread of diseases in the territory. Furthermore, only nine truckloads of medical supplies were sent into Gaza, which were far from sufficient to meet demand.

Al-Daqran said more than 70,000 people in Gaza are infected with hepatitis C and require urgent treatment outside Gaza. Over 41 percent of kidney patients died during the conflict due to shortage of equipment and the destruction of dialysis units, dramatically increasing overall mortality rates.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital called on the World Health Organization to exert pressure on Israel to allow medical aid to enter the Strip and provide human resources support.

Palestinian death toll in Gaza rises to 68,527 amid fragile ceasefire

The multilateral system is "under attack" amid global turmoil, President of the 80th UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock warned in her remarks on Wednesday.

In her briefing on the priorities for the resumed 80th Session of the General Assembly, the UNGA president noted that the current multilateral system does not collapse all in a sudden, but "crumbles piece by piece" in divisions, compromises, and lack of political commitment.

The president called all the UN member states to defend the UN Charter and international law and promote cross-regional cooperation.

She also urged to push forward the work of the UNGA on certain critical issues with a strong majority, rather than an absolute consensus among all member states. Such act is not a failure of multilateralism, but "an affirmation of it," she said.

The foundational principles of the institution should not be eroded by appeasement, she said, calling the member states to show courage, leadership, and responsibility at the UN's "critical make-or-break moment."

"The UN needs you. Your support, your leadership, your principle, stand, your cross-regional cooperation, if we are to preserve and modernize this institution, if we are to make it, rather than break it," she said.

UNGA President warns global multilateral system "under attack"