By A Correspondent
London, (The Muslim News): Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has accused Israeli forces of killing more than 2,500 Palestinians since May, as civilians attempted to access desperately needed food in northern Gaza, where famine is deepening.
The allegations, set out in a report released on Thursday, underscore the extreme peril faced by hundreds of thousands of Palestinians trapped in the north. The report includes video footage from the Zikim Crossing, once the sole entry point for aid before its closure on 12 September. According to B’Tselem, civilians who walked for hours in search of food were repeatedly met with Israeli gunfire.
Among the victims was Ahmad Abu Rukbah. His brother Talal recalled how, after finally securing a sack of flour near Zikim, Israeli forces opened fire as they returned home. Ahmad was struck in the chest and died instantly, despite Talal’s desperate attempt to save him.
B’Tselem reported that “more than 2,500 Palestinians have been killed and over 18,500 injured while trying to reach aid convoys,” accusing Israel of “weaponising famine” as part of what it called an “ongoing genocide”. The charge echoes a joint statement B’Tselem issued with Physicians for Human Rights Israel in July, accusing the government of deliberately dismantling Gaza’s society and healthcare system.
The Gaza Health Ministry said on Thursday that 65,502 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its war on the enclave in October 2023, with 167,376 wounded. The ministry warned that many bodies remain under the rubble, inaccessible to rescuers.
Meanwhile, Israeli attacks continued across Gaza on Thursday. Medics reported at least 57 Palestinians, including women and children, killed in az-Zawayda when a family home was struck. Dozens more died in separate strikes from Gaza City to Khan Younis, with many still believed to be buried beneath collapsed buildings.
The mounting death toll comes as international scrutiny of Israel’s conduct intensifies. Microsoft confirmed it had cut ties with an Israeli military unit running a mass surveillance system monitoring millions of Palestinian calls across Gaza and the West Bank. “Microsoft has ceased and disabled a set of services to a unit within the Israel Ministry of Defence,” company president Brad Smith said in a statement.
In Washington, US President Donald Trump said he would block any Israeli move to annex the occupied West Bank, a rare public rebuke of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Nope, I will not allow it. It’s not going to happen,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “There’s been enough. It’s time to stop now.” Trump and Netanyahu are meeting on Monday to discuss on future of Gaza.
[Photo: Palestinians search for their family members killed in Israeli army’s attack in Gaza City, Gaza on September 26, 2025. It was reported that there were casualties and injuries, including children, in the attack. Photojournalist: Khames Alrefi/AA]
