France to recognize Palestine as a state
French president Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that France will recognize Palestine as a state.
In a post on X, Macron said he will formalize the “solemn” decision at the UN General Assembly in September, saying “there is no alternative”.
“The urgent need today is to end the war in Gaza and to rescue the civilian population,” he said. “Peace is possible.”
Fidèle à son engagement historique pour une paix juste et durable au Proche-Orient, j’ai décidé que la France reconnaîtra l’État de Palestine.
J’en ferai l’annonce solennelle à l’Assemblée générale des Nations unies, au mois de septembre prochain.… pic.twitter.com/7yQLkqoFWC
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 24, 2025
Key events
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unra) has said his frontline staff are fainting from hunger as the number of people dying of starvation in Gaza continues to climb.
“This deepening crisis is affecting everyone, including those trying to save lives in the war-torn enclave … when caretakers cannot find enough to eat, the entire humanitarian system is collapsing,” Philippe Lazzarini said on Thursday.
William Christou and Angela Giuffrida also report that at least 45 people have died of hunger in the past four days. The UN and aid groups blame Israel’s blockade of almost all aid into the territory for the lack of food.
Lazzarini said a colleague in the territory had told him: “People in Gaza are neither dead nor alive, they are walking corpses.”
See here for the full report:
Here are some of the latest images from Gaza coming in over the newswires as the number of people dying of starvation in the Palestinian territory continues to rise.
Continuing with the UK, a cross-party committee of MPs has said Israel is not listening to Britain and ministers should “immediately” recognise the state of Palestine.
The UK’s actions over the ongoing conflict and “in the years preceding have often been too little, too late”, the foreign affairs committee has said as it called for further sanctions “against settlers”, PA Media is reporting.
Prime minister Keir Starmer is facing increasing pressure to fulfil Labour’s promise to recognise Palestine as the conflict continues.
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is among those who have called for the move. A “majority” of MPs on the committee have also backed it, according to the chairwoman, Dame Emily Thornberry.
In the committee report, the MPs said that “some of Israel’s recent actions in Gaza are difficult to justify given the death toll among civilians” and pressure should be put on Tel Aviv “for this conflict to end and for hostages to be released”.
The MPs said:
It seems that the Israeli government is not listening to the UK. And while it listens to the US government, it only does so sporadically.
Starmer to hold emergency call with France and Germany on Gaza
British prime minister Keir Starmer has said he will hold an emergency call on Friday with France and Germany on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, urging a ceasefire and steps towards Palestinian statehood.
“I will hold an emergency call with E3 partners tomorrow, where we will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace,” he said in a statement on Thursday, quoted by AFP.
Starmer said:
A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.
Starmer also said the situation in Gaza had “reached new depths and continues to worsen”.
The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible. We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe.
More here from Saudi Arabia on it hailing France’s recognition of a Palestinian state
“The kingdom praises this historic decision, which reaffirms the international community’s consensus on the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement, cited by AFP.
Saudi Arabia has hailed France’s recognition of a Palestinian state as “historic”, Agence France-Presse is reporting.
As detailed earlier, the French announcement has been fiercely condemned by Israeli leaders, including prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Hamas calls French recognition of Palestinian state ‘a positive step’
Hamas has responded to Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that France will recognise Palestine as a state, calling it a positive move and urging all countries to do the same despite Israeli opposition.
“We consider this a positive step in the right direction toward doing justice to our oppressed Palestinian people and supporting their legitimate right to self-determination,” the militant group said in a statement, cited by the Associated Press, after the French president said France would formally state its recognition in September.
Hamas added:
We call on all countries of the world – especially European nations and those that have not yet recognised the state of Palestine – to follow France’s lead.
Interim summary
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French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that France will recognize Palestine as a state. In a post on X, Macron said he will formalize the “solemn” decision at the UN General Assembly in September, saying “there is no alternative”. The announcement was fiercely condemned by Israeli leaders, including prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The decision also likely puts pressure on UK prime minister Keir Starmer to follow suit and recognize a Palestinian state.
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US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said that the Donald Trump administration has decided to bring its consultation team home from the Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha. In a post on X, Witkoff said: “We have decided to bring our team home from Doha for consultations after the latest response from Hamas, which clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith.”
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Israel also recalled its negotiating team following Hamas’s response, effectively suspending weeks of Qatar-mediated talks that had shown only limited progress.
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The United Nations said on Thursday it did not know how many truckloads of aid were awaiting distribution inside the Gaza border because Israel has not granted it access. International criticism is growing over the plight of the more than two million Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 100 aid and rights groups have warned that “mass starvation” is spreading.
As we reported earlier, the US and Israel have abandoned ceasefire talks, blaming Hamas for a “lack of desire” to reach an agreement.
The announcement suggested a setback for diplomatic efforts to end the relentless siege, destruction and ruin of Gaza that has devastated the territory for more than 21 months, writes my colleague Joseph Gedeon.
Israel also recalled its negotiating team following Hamas’s response, effectively suspending weeks of Qatar-mediated talks that had shown only limited progress. It’s also unclear what “alternative options” are under consideration.
The announcement comes as Gaza endures cataclysmic humanitarian conditions. More than 1,000 desperate and hungry people in Gaza have been killed in recent weeks trying to fetch food according to the UN, with at least 85 Palestinians killed Sunday alone.
The World Health Organization on Wednesday described the situation as “man-made mass starvation” caused by restrictions on aid deliveries.
Read the full story here
Netanyahu ‘strongly’ condemns France’s recognition of a Palestinian state
In a statement echoing his senior ministers, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Macron’s decision “rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became”.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
We strongly condemn President Macron’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state next to Tel Aviv in the wake of the October 7 massacre. Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) July 24, 2025
“A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it. Let’s be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel,” Netanyahu added.
Ultra-nationalist Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote in French on X that Macron has given Israel “another” and “more compelling” reason “to finally apply Israeli sovereignty over the historic regions of Judea and Samaria, and to put an end once and for all to the dangerous illusion of a single state”.
Je remercie le président Macron de fournir une raison supplémentaire — et des plus convaincantes — pour enfin appliquer la souveraineté israélienne sur les régions historiques de Judée et Samarie, et pour en finir une bonne fois pour toutes avec l’illusion dangereuse d’un État…
— בצלאל סמוטריץ’ (@bezalelsm) July 24, 2025
Irish PM signals support of Macron
Macron is also receiving support from some allies, including from Simon Harris, the deputy prime minister of Ireland, who called the decision an “important contribution towards implementing the two State solution”.
I welcome the announcement by President Macron that 🇫🇷 will recognise 🇵🇸 in September.
This is an important contribution towards implementing the two State solution, which offers the only lasting basis for peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike. https://t.co/cvzQ8xC0Vj
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) July 24, 2025