By Nadine Osman and Ahmed J Versi
London, (The Muslim News): The Palestinian death toll in Gaza surpassed 65,000 on Monday amid continued Israeli bombardment, as several Western nations moved to formally recognize a Palestinian state.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported 61 fatalities in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of dead since October 2023 to 65,344. The ministry stated that many victims remain under rubble, with rescue teams unable to reach them.
Israeli airstrikes hit several neighbourhoods in Gaza City, including al-Samer, Tel al-Hawa, and the Shati refugee camp, resulting in at least 35 deaths. The Israeli military dropped evacuation leaflets over Al-Ahli Arab Hospital and Al-Wehda Street ahead of the strikes.
The war’s developments coincided with significant diplomatic actions at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced his country’s recognition of the State of Palestine. “I declare that today France recognises the state of Palestine,” he said at a high-level conference.
Following the French announcement, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed the United Kingdom had also formally recognized Palestine. The UK Foreign Office subsequently updated its official maps to label the West Bank and Gaza as “Palestine,” instead of “Occupied Palestinian Territories.”
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, speaking on behalf of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, urged other nations to follow suit. “It is time to achieve justice for the Palestinian people and to recognise a Palestinian state,” he stated.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the issue of Israeli settlements, describing their expansion as “morally, legally, and politically intolerable.” He also expressed disappointment that Palestinian officials were denied visas to attend UN events.
From his headquarters in Ramallah, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pledged to hold elections within one year of the war’s conclusion. The US revoked visas for Abbas and 80 other officials, preventing their travel to the UN meetings.
In Washington, the White House announced that President Donald Trump will meet with leaders from Türkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and other Muslim-majority nations to discuss the situation in Gaza.
In East Jerusalem, dozens of Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The visit, led by former Knesset member Yehuda Glick, was described by participants as a prayer session for slain Conservative American activist Charlie Kirk.
Palestinian flag raising ceremony in London
Photos above Palestine Ambassador Husam Zomlot flanked by UK Foreign Minster Hamish Falconer & Scotland First Minister John Swinner; Zomlot raising Palestinian flag; Falconer speaking at the event. All photos by Ahmed J Versi/the Muslim News]
Meanwhile, on Monday, in London, in an historic event, Palestinian held a ceremony at the Palestine Mission to the UK [now Palestine Emabassy] to raise flag of Palestine to mark recognition of Palestine by the UK government.
Palestinian Ambassador, Husam Zomlot, said the event was “to mark a historic moment in the same capital of the Balfour Declaration. After more than a century of ongoing denial, disposition and erasure, the UK government has finally taken the long overdue step of recognising the State of Palestine.”
It is “a new chapter in the Palestinian struggle for freedom and sovereignty, and a first step towards correcting past injustices. I would like to thank you for joining us today in the ceremony to raise the flag of Palestine and mark the recognition of Palestine by the UK government.”
This recognition, he said, is “not about affirming what we already know. It is about writing historic wrongs and connecting together for a future based on freedom, dignity and fundamental human rights.”
“Please join me as we raise the flag of Palestine with its colours representing our nation: Black for our mourning, white for our hope, green for our land and red for the sacrifices of our people,” the ambassador said.
Representing the government, Foreign Office Minister, Hamish Falconer, said, “This is not only an endorsement of the vision of two states, it is a rejection of extreme extremist ideas on both sides. Fancies of the destruction of the State of Israel or the expulsion of the Palestinian people” and acknowledged failure to abide by the Balfour Declaration, which he said, “came with the promise that nothing shall be done, nothing which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of the Palestinian People that has not been upheld.”
Kit Malthouse, Chair of the Conservative Middle East Council supporting the recognition of State of Palestine, said it was “a small but vital correction of an historic injustice.” However, leader of Conservative Party condemning recognition had said it was “Disastrous. Absolutely disastrous” and it was “rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas.”
Ruba Atallah, a young Palestinian woman from Gaza, spoke on her experience living under Israeli bombardment in Gaza. “I stand here for my grandparents and the 48 members of my family whose fate was to be killed in Gaza during the ongoing genocide November 2023.”
Leader of Scottish National Party in Westminster, Stephen Flynn MP, who has been supporting the cause of Palestinian people in Parliament, told the Muslim News at the event, “We need to remember that this is just the start. We can’t afford to forget the horror and the suffering and the genocide that’s unfolding in Gaza. We won’t forget that. And we’ll use this as an opportunity to double down on pressure on the Prime Minister to end his support for the Israeli government.”
[Photo: Palestinians struggle to survive on the streets and sidewalks as they are forced to flee toward the central parts of the Gaza Strip following Israel’s ongoing ground and airstrikes in Gaza City, Gaza on September 22, 2025. Palestinians who have left their homes continue to flee southward with their belongings due to intense Israeli attacks and forced evacuation warnings. Photojournalist: Moiz Salhi/AA]
