Over 2,500 Palestinians killed while seeking food aid in famine-hit northern Gaza: B'Tselem
The Israeli rights group says civilians desperate for flour and supplies were gunned down near Zikim Crossing, accusing Israel of weaponising famine as part of its war.
Israeli human rights group B’Tselem on Thursday said more than 2,500 Palestinians have been killed in recent months by Israeli forces as they tried to access food aid in northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands remain trapped amid acute famine.
The group released footage from the Zikim crossing — the only entry point through which aid could reach northern Gaza until Israel closed it on September 12.
According to B’Tselem, civilians walked for hours in desperate search of flour and supplies, only to be met with Israeli gunfire.
Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes of crowds rushing towards aid trucks under fire, with many killed and wounded while rescue teams were unable to reach them.
Among those killed was Ahmad Abu Rukbah. His brother Talal told B’Tselem that after hours of waiting near Zikim, they finally managed to obtain a sack of flour. On their way back, heavy gunfire broke out again, striking Ahmad in the chest. Talal said he tried to stop the bleeding with his shirt, but Ahmad died instantly.
B’Tselem said that since May, more than 2,500 Palestinians have been killed and over 18,500 injured while attempting to reach aid convoys. The rights group accused Israel of weaponising famine as part of its ongoing genocide in Gaza.
In July, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights - Israel issued a joint statement accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of the enclave’s health care system.
The Israeli army has killed more than 65,500 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023, most of them women and children, according to health authorities. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to mass starvation and the spread of disease.