Canada has joined the UK and France in their plans to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN, becoming the third G7 nation to ratchet up pressure on Israel as starvation spreads in Gaza.
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney said Canada condemns the fact that “Israeli government has allowed a catastrophe to unfold in Gaza” and the planned move was predicated on the Palestinian Authority's commitment to reforms.
It comes just days after prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK would recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel took steps to end the war in Gaza.
Israel and the US, both, have rejected Canada’s move, calling it a “reward for Hamas”.
US president Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to head to Israel within the coming hours for talks after ceasefire negotiations with Hamas appeared to have stalled last week.
Seven more people died from malnutrition in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
A UN-backed global food security agency said there was evidence of “widespread starvation” in Gaza that has reached “an alarming and deadly turning point”.
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Netanyahu accuses Starmer of ‘rewarding Hamas’ in blistering response to plan to recognise Palestine
Key Points
- Canada to recognise Palestinian state at UN in September under certain conditions
- UK says Gaza needs 500 aid trucks daily as Israel contradicts reports that just 109 aid lorries entered Gaza yesterday
- Israel given ultimatum by Starmer over UK recognising state of Palestine
- British-Israeli freed hostage accuses Starmer of ‘moral failure’
- Key Arab states tell Hamas to disarm and surrender control of Gaza
Resolutions to block arms sales to Israel blacked in US Senate
06:03
,
Shweta Sharma
Two resolutions that would have blocked America’s arms sales to Israel in response to civilian casualties in Gaza were blocked in the US Senate on Wednesday, although they garnered more support than similar measures earlier this year.
The resolutions would have blocked the sale of $675m in bombs and shipments of 20,000 assault rifles.
The two resolutions were introduced by senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent aligned with Democrats. They failed by 73 to 24 and 70 to 27 in the 100-member chamber in voting late on Wednesday night.
Similar measures, also introduced by Mr Sanders, failed by 82-15 and 83-15 in April.
All of the votes for the resolutions came from Democrats, with all of president Donald Trump's fellow Republicans opposed.
Mr Sanders said in a statement he was pleased that a majority of the Democratic caucus had backed the effort.
"The tide is turning. The American people do not want to spend billions to starve children in Gaza," Mr Sanders said. "The Democrats are moving forward on this issue, and I look forward to Republican support in the near future."
Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was one of the Democrats who opposed the Sanders-backed resolutions in April but voted for them this time.
Mr Shaheen said in a statement that Israel has a right to defend its citizens, but added: "It is clear that the Government of Israel has not conducted its military operations in Gaza with the necessary care required by international humanitarian law. It is also clear that the Government of Israel has failed to allow adequate humanitarian assistance into Gaza, resulting in unbelievable suffering."
Israel could warn Hamas of annexing parts of Gaza
04:44
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Shweta Sharma
Israel could threaten to annex parts of Gaza to increase pressure on the militant group Hamas, an Israeli minister said on Wednesday, an idea that would deal a blow to Palestinian hopes of statehood on land Israel now occupies.
The comment by security cabinet member Zeev Elkin came a day after Britain said it would recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes steps to relieve suffering in Gaza and agrees to a ceasefire in the war with Hamas.
Accusing Hamas of trying to drag out ceasefire talks to gain Israeli concessions, Mr Elkin told public broadcaster Kan that Israel may give the group an ultimatum to reach a deal before further expanding its military actions.
"The most painful thing for our enemy is losing lands," he said. "A clarification to Hamas that the moment they play games with us they will lose land that they will never get back would be a significant pressure tool."
It comes amid pressure building on Israel over the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where a global hunger monitor has warned that a worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding.
Mediation efforts aimed at reaching a deal that would secure a 60-day ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas ground to a halt last week, with the sides trading blame for the impasse.
Israel says it rejects Canada's position to recognise a Palestinian state
04:24
,
Shweta Sharma
Israel has strongly rejected Canada’s shift in position to recognise a Palestinian state, saying the decision would be a “reward for Hamas”.
The Israeli foreign ministry said it rejects the statement by the prime minister of Canada.
“The change in the position of the Canadian government at this time is a reward for Hamas and harms the efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of the hostages,” the foreign ministry said.
Canada’s announcement came after the UK and France said they would recognise a Palestinian state at September's UN General Assembly meeting if the fighting in Gaza, part of the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel, had not stopped by then.
Prime minister Mark Carney told reporters that the reality on the ground, including starvation of people in Gaza, meant "the prospect of a Palestinian state is literally receding before our eyes."
"Canada condemns the fact that the Israeli government has allowed a catastrophe to unfold in Gaza," he said.
Palestinians waiting for food killed in firing
04:02
,
Shweta Sharma
At least 48 Palestinians have been killed and several others injured in firing after people desperate to get food at a crossing controlled by Israeli forces gathered, according to hospital staff.
The Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said the dead and the wounded were among crowds massed at the Zikim Crossing, the main entry point for humanitarian aid to northern Gaza.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which controls the crossing.
Videos showed wounded people being ferried away from the scene of the shooting in wooden carts, as well as crowds of people carrying bags of flour.
Al-Saraya Field Hospital, where critical cases are stabilised before transfer to main hospitals, said it received more than 100 dead and wounded.
Fares Awad, head of the Gaza Health Ministry's emergency service, said some bodies were taken to other hospitals, indicating the toll could rise.
Israeli strikes and gunfire had earlier killed at least 46 Palestinians overnight and into Wednesday, most of them among crowds seeking food, health officials said.
Another seven Palestinians, including a child, died of malnutrition-related causes, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Mapped: Israeli settlements in the West Bank
03:00
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Steffie Banatvala
Explained: Is a two-state solution possible?
02:00
,
Steffie Banatvala
- While Israel withdrew settlers and soldiers from Gaza in 2005, settlements expanded in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, their population rising from 250,000 in 1993 to 700,000 three decades later, according to Israeli organisation Peace Now. Palestinians say this undermines the basis of a viable state.
- Jewish settlement in the West Bank has accelerated sharply since the start of the Gaza war.
- During the Second Intifada two decades ago, Israel also constructed a barrier that it said was intended to stop Palestinian suicide bombers from entering its cities. Palestinians call it a land grab.
- The PA led by President Mahmoud Abbas administers islands of West Bank land enveloped by a zone of Israeli control comprising 60 percent of the territory, including the Jordanian border and the settlements - arrangements set out in the Oslo Accords.
- Netanyahu's government is the most right-wing in Israeli history and includes religious nationalists who draw support from settlers. The far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has said there is no such thing as a Palestinian people.
- Netanyahu said on 7 July he wanted peace with the Palestinians but described any future independent state as a potential platform to destroy Israel, saying control of security must remain with Israel.
- Hamas won elections in 2006 and a year later drove forces loyal to Abbas out of Gaza, fragmenting the territories where the Palestinians hope to establish their state.
- Hamas and Israel have fought repeated wars since then, culminating in the attacks on communities in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, that ignited the current Gaza war.
Full story: Arab nations tell Hamas to ‘disarm’ and end rule of Gaza after Starmer ultimatum
01:00
,
Steffie Banatvala
Our Political Correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Explained: The history of the two-state solution
Thursday 31 July 2025 00:00
,
Steffie Banatvala
- Conflict occurred in British-ruled Palestine between Arabs and Jews who had migrated to the area, seeking a national home as they fled antisemitic persecution in Europe and citing biblical ties to the land throughout centuries in exile.
- In 1947, the United Nations agreed a plan partitioning Palestine into Arab and Jewish states with international rule over Jerusalem. Jewish leaders accepted the plan, which gave them 56 percent of the land. The Arab League rejected it.
- The state of Israel was declared on 14 May 1948. A day later, five Arab states attacked. The war ended with Israel controlling 77% of the territory. Some 700,000 Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes, ending up in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria as well as in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
- In a 1967 war, Israel captured the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, from Jordan and Gaza from Egypt, securing control of all territory from the Mediterranean to the Jordan valley.
- Although 147 of the 193 UN member states already recognise Palestine as a state, it is not itself a UN member, meaning most Palestinians are not recognised by the world body as citizens of any state.
What did Mark Carney say during Palestine recognition announcement
Wednesday 30 July 2025 23:37
,
Alex Croft
Here are some of Mark Carney’s quotes as he announce that Canada intends to recognise the state of Palestine in September:
- “Canada intends to recognise the state of Palestine at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025.”
- “Preserving a two-state solution means standing with all people who choose peace over violence or terrorism.”
- “The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable and it is rapidly deteriorating."
- “We are working ourselves with others, to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution, to not allow the facts on the ground, deaths on the ground, the settlements on the ground, the expropriations on the ground, to get to such an extent that this is not possible.”
- "The prospect of a Palestinian state is being eroded before our eyes.”
Israel says Canada's recognition of Palestine rewards Hamas
Wednesday 30 July 2025 23:33
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Alex Croft
Israel has rejected a statement by Canada's prime minister over a planned recognition of a Palestinian state, saying it represented a reward to militant faction Hamas.
"The change in the position of the Canadian government at this time is a reward for Hamas and harms the efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of the hostages," the Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement early on Thursday.
Trump believes Palestinian statehood rewards Hamas, US official says
Wednesday 30 July 2025 23:32
,
Alex Croft
US president Donald Trump believes that recognizing Palestinian statehood would be rewarding the militant group Hamas and he does not intend to do that, a White House official said on Wednesday.
The comments came after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his country's decision on the issue.
Mr Carney told reporters that Canada intends to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations in September.
“As the president stated, he would be rewarding Hamas if he recognizes a Palestinian state, and he doesn’t think they should be rewarded," a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "So he is not going to do that. President Trump’s focus is on getting people fed (in Gaza).”
The official did not respond to a question on whether the U.S. was given advance notice of Carney's announcement.
In pictures: Inside the clinic trying to help pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers during starvation crisis
Wednesday 30 July 2025 23:00
,
Steffie Banatvala
CARE’s primary healthcare centre provides malnutrition screening and supplements, alleviating hunger for children, pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Canada to recognise Palestinian state at UN in September under certain conditions
Wednesday 30 July 2025 22:56
,
Daniel Keane
Canada intends to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations in September under certain conditions, Prime Minister Mark Carney has said.
Mr Carney told reporters that the planned move was predicated on the Palestinian Authority's commitment to reforms, including commitments to fundamentally reform its governance and to hold general elections in 2026.
Hamas must play no part in the elections, he added.
US Ambassador to Israel says UN, not Israel to blame for hunger in Gaza
Wednesday 30 July 2025 22:00
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Steffie Banatvala
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has said the United Nations, rather than Israel, is to blame for hunger in Gaza.
Huckabee told Newsmax on Tuesday that the UN has not distributed lifesaving food supplies in Gaza and Hamas is also interfering.
“The UN, unfortunately, wouldn't help,” Huckabee said. “They had 900 trucks full of food, sitting undelivered, sitting in the sun, rotting.”
“What I will tell you is the reason those problems exist is not because Israel is being unkind and unfair,” he said. “It's because Hamas has made life a hellhole for the people who are trying to live there.”
'UK pledge sends dangerous message that violence earns legitimacy': freed British-Israeli hostage
Wednesday 30 July 2025 21:00
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Steffie Banatvala
As a Dual British-Israeli citizen who survived 471 days in Hamas captivity, I am deeply saddened by your decision @Keir_Starmer to recognise Palestinian statehood. This move does not advance peace—it risks rewarding terror. It sends a dangerous message: that violence earns… https://t.co/G4DF5AWgjT
— Emily Damari (@EmilyDamari1) July 30, 2025
Opinion: What might a surrender deal for Hamas look like?
Wednesday 30 July 2025 20:00
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Steffie Banatvala
The demand by Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt that the terrorists in control of Gaza put down their arms and leave is a strong diplomatic move – but where are they supposed to go? History suggests that expelling terrorists rarely ends well, says Mark Almond:
ICYMI: Key Arab states tell Hamas to disarm and surrender control of Gaza
Wednesday 30 July 2025 19:00
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Steffie Banatvala
In an unprecedented move, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have for the first time urged Hamas to disband to pave the way for a Palestinian state.
They signed a statement condemning the October 7 attacks and told Hamas to surrender control, along with 14 other countries, including Britain and France.
In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State.
The declaration says
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff to visit Israel tomorrow
Wednesday 30 July 2025 18:25
,
Daniel Keane
US special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Israel on Thursday to discuss the next steps to address the situation in Gaza, a US official has confirmed.
President Donald Trump said on Monday he expects food centres to be set up in order to feed more people in Gaza, where starvation has begun to take hold.
The US official told Reuters that Witkoff will meet with officials "to discuss next steps in addressing the situation in Gaza."
Opinion: Putting conditions on recognising a Palestinian state is a humiliating joke
Wednesday 30 July 2025 18:00
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Steffie Banatvala
When I asked my sister in Gaza what she thought of Keir Starmer’s announcement, she laughed – because it means we only gain statehood if we continue to be killed, says Ahmed Najar:
Re-capped: Netanyahu accuses Starmer of ‘rewarding Hamas’ in blistering response to plan to recognise Palestine
Wednesday 30 July 2025 17:00
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Steffie Banatvala
Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a furious response after Sir Keir Starmer pledged to recognise Palestine unless Israel takes urgent steps to end the war in Gaza, accusing the prime minister of “appeasing terrorists”.
Responding on social media, the Israeli prime minister said: “Starmer rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism and punishes its victims.”
Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff travelling for talks to Israel today "may also travel to Gaza"
Wednesday 30 July 2025 16:56
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Steffie Banatvala
Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff travelling for talks to Israel today “may also travel to Gaza”, the White House confirmed to The Independent's Andrew Feinberg.
Witkoff is expected to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
It will be his first trip to Israel in almost three months.
“The president wants to know more about what the humanitarian situation in Gaza is in order to know how to get more assistance to civilians in Gaza,” one US official told Axios.
Israeli minister hints at annexing parts of Gaza
Wednesday 30 July 2025 16:45
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Steffie Banatvala
Israel could threaten to annex parts of Gaza to increase pressure on Hamas, an Israeli minister said on Wednesday, an idea that would deal a blow to Palestinian hopes of statehood on land Israel now occupies.
Accusing Hamas of trying to drag out ceasefire talks to gain Israeli concessions, security cabinet member Zeev Elkin told public broadcaster Kan that Israel may give the group an ultimatum to reach a deal before further expanding its military actions.
"The most painful thing for our enemy is losing lands," he said.
"A clarification to Hamas that the moment they play games with us they will lose land that they will never get back would be a significant pressure tool."
Opinion: Why has it been so difficult for Britain to recognise the state of Palestine?
Wednesday 30 July 2025 16:30
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Steffie Banatvala
In the decades since the 1917 Balfour Declaration, the UK has broadly supported official recognition of a state of Palestine.
So why has it taken more than a century for a government to sign up to it, asks Donald Macintyre:
In pictures: Israeli armoured vehicles enter Gaza as starvation crisis worsens
Wednesday 30 July 2025 16:22
,
Steffie Banatvala
Six people killed near aid distribution centre: hospital sources
Wednesday 30 July 2025 16:18
,
Steffie Banatvala
Six Palestinians were killed early today near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution centre in Rafah, hospital sources said.
Sources told the BBC said that crowds were attacked by an Israeli tank after attempting to enter the centre just before it opened.
The Israeli military told the broadcaster that a “gathering of suspects” who they say posed a threat to troops were told to move away. The army then fired “warning shots”, the military added, but disputed the deaths.
The GHF also said no killings took place at or around their sites today.
If you're just joining us:
Wednesday 30 July 2025 16:15
,
Steffie Banatvala
- A UN-backed food security monitor yesterday alerted that a ‘worst-case famine scenario' is unfolding in Gaza
- Israel's foreign minister denied accusations that it's withholding aid, claiming it is a “lie”
- The UK pledged to recognise Palestine as a state in September unless Israel took steps to end the war in Gaza, after Sir Keir Starmer convened an emergency cabinet meeting
- Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit back and accused Sir Keir of ‘rewarding Hamas’
- British charities and MPs also criticised the move, accusing Sir Keir of using Palestinian statehood as a ‘bargaining chip’
- Key Arab countries signed an unprecedented declaration, along with 14 other countries including Britain and France, telling Hamas to disarm and surrender control
Opinion: Starmer’s Palestine ultimatum is as empty as it is dangerous
Wednesday 30 July 2025 16:05
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Steffie Banatvala
Far from a return to a “two state process” as demanded by Starmer, Israel is certain to annex what it wants of the West Bank, pen the remaining Palestinians in and hope that they eventually clear off too, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley:
Explained: What would UK recognition of Palestine as a state actually mean?
Wednesday 30 July 2025 16:00
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Steffie Banatvala
Here, The Independent asks experts about what the UK recognising Palestinian statehood would mean in practice:
Palestinians in West Bank village face new crisis as settlers cut off water
Wednesday 30 July 2025 15:50
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Steffie Banatvala
Palestinians in the village of Susiya in the Israeli-occupied West Bank have said settlers armed with knives have cut off their water sources, villagers.
Palestinians in the West Bank have reported growing Israeli settler violence since war erupted on October 7, 2023.
They want us to live without water, and here they also cut the electrical wires
Mousa Mughnem, 67
ICYMI: What steps did Saudi Arabia, France outline in their declaration?
Wednesday 30 July 2025 15:46
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Steffie Banatvala
France and Saudi Arabia hosted the UN conference to work towards a two-state solution between Israel and Palestinians.
The seven-page declaration called for:
- An end to the the 22-month war in the Gaza Strip
- Release all the hostages
- Immediately establish a transitional administrative in Gaza under the umbrella of the Palestinian Authority, which currently exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank under Israeli occupation
- The deployment of a temporary international stabilisation mission, mandated by the U.N. Security Council
It calls on Israel to:
- Issue a clear public commitment to the two-state solution, including a sovereign and viable Palestinian State
- To immediately end violence and incitement against Palestinians
- To halt all settlement, land grabs, and annexation activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem.
Palestine Action High Court challenge can go ahead, judge rules
Wednesday 30 July 2025 15:40
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Steffie Banatvala
Palestine Action’s co-founder has won a bid to bring a High Court challenge over the group’s ban as a terror organisation.
Huda Ammori is challenging Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s decision to proscribe the group under anti-terror laws, announced after the group claimed responsibility for action in which two Voyager planes were damaged at RAF Brize Norton on June 20.
The ban means that membership of, or support for, the direct action group is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Earlier this month, lawyers for Ms Ammori asked a judge to allow her to bring the High Court challenge over the ban, describing it as an “unlawful interference” with freedom of expression.
More than 100 people killed in Gaza in last 24 hours: local officials
Wednesday 30 July 2025 15:36
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Steffie Banatvala
In the last 24 hours, 104 people have been killed in Gaza and a further 399 have been injured, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The death toll since October 2023 has risen to 60,138, the ministry says.
In pictures: Humanitarian aid is airdropped to Palestinians over Deir al-Balah
Wednesday 30 July 2025 15:33
,
Steffie Banatvala
Watch: Trump says Melania thinks Gaza crisis is 'terrible'
Wednesday 30 July 2025 15:30
,
Steffie Banatvala
Pictures: Protests against starvation in Gaza spread worldwide
Wednesday 30 July 2025 15:15
,
Steffie Banatvala
Explained: Why has Starmer chosen now to threaten Palestine recognition?
Wednesday 30 July 2025 15:00
,
Steffie Banatvala
Successive British governments have said they will formally recognise a Palestinian state when the time is right, without ever setting a timetable or specifying the necessary conditions.
With warnings from international aid agencies that people in Gaza are facing starvation, a growing number of lawmakers in Sir Keir's Labour Party have been asking him to recognise a Palestinian state to raise pressure on Israel.
The issue came to the fore after French president Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday France would recognise Palestine as a state in territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
Sir Keir’s Labour Party pledged to recognise Palestine as a state in their July manifesto - however they always said they would only do so when they believed it best served efforts towards a two-state solution in the region.
In pictures: Inside the clinic trying to help pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers during starvation crisis
Wednesday 30 July 2025 14:45
,
Steffie Banatvala
CARE’s primary healthcare centre provides malnutrition screening and supplements, alleviating hunger for children, pregnant and breastfeeding women.
