What we covered here
• Australia, Canada and the UK announced their recognition of Palestinian statehood, in an apparently coordinated move that piles pressure on Israel and puts the three countries at odds with the US.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by vowing “there will be no Palestinian state.”
• France plans to recognize a Palestinian state at next week’s UN General Assembly as international alarm builds over the ongoing war and starvation crisis in Gaza.
• Elsewhere today on the ground, dozens of people were reported killed as the Israeli military presses on with operations in the Gaza City area.
Our live coverage of the latest news from Gaza and on countries recognizing a Palestinian state has concluded for Sunday. Please follow Monday’s coverage here.
Canada, Australia and the UK announce recognition of Palestinian statehood
Canada, Australia and the UK announced formal recognition of the state of Palestine today in an attempt to pile pressure on Israel as it presses on with its campaign in Gaza despite international outrage.
The three – all strong allies of Israel for decades – also expressed deep frustration at the lack of progress towards a two-state solution.
The move puts them at odds with the US and deepens Israel’s international isolation.
We’re ending our live coverage for now, but you can scroll down to look back at developments as they happened, and see here for a full round-up of today’s events.
Senior Hamas official welcomes recognition of Palestinian state by Canada, UK and Australia
A senior Hamas official has told CNN today’s move by the UK, Canada and Australia to formally recognize Palestine is a “welcomed step.”
However, Naim added that this recognition must be “accompanied by practical measures on the ground to affirm these rights and thwart the Zionist plans that explicitly reject any Palestinian political entity.”
“It must be emphasized that the highest priority now is to stop the genocide and ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip and to end the humanitarian blockade on the territory,” he said.
For context: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to today’s move by the UK, Canada and Australia to formally recognize Palestine by vowing “there will be no Palestinian state.”
Netanyahu vows "there will be no Palestinian state"
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now responded to today’s move by the UK, Canada and Australia to formally recognize Palestine, vowing “there will be no Palestinian state.”
The Israeli leader said despite immense pressure, both domestically and internationally, he has prevented the establishment of what he called a “terror state” for years.
“We did so with determination, and with diplomatic wisdom. All the more so, we have doubled Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria — and we will continue on this path,” he said, deploying the term usually used in Israel to refer to the occupied West Bank.
“The response to the latest attempt to force a terror state upon us in the heart of our land will be given after my return from the United States. Wait for it,” Netanyahu added.
Israeli foreign minister condemns recognition of Palestinian state by Canada, UK and Australia
We’re hearing now from Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Saar, who has condemned today’s move by Australia, Canada and the UK to recognise a Palestinian state as “infuriating and immoral.”
“On the one hand — it is a reward to Hamas following the October 7th massacre. It cannot be perceived as anything other than encouragement of terrorism,” Saar said in a video statement.
The foreign minister said the strong, widespread opposition in Israel towards the establishment of a Palestinian state would act as a guarantee against it.
“The future of the Land of Israel will not be decided in London or Paris — it will be decided here, in Jerusalem,” Saar added.
Catch-up: UK, Canada and Australia formally recognize Palestinian state
The UK, in step with Canada and Australia, has today recognized a Palestinian state, deepening Israel’s isolation on the world stage amid calls to end the war in Gaza.
Israeli politicians have condemned the decision.
If you’re just joining us, take a look below at a recap on today’s events so far:
- UK announcement: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced earlier that the United Kingdom was formally recognizing a Palestinian state. He acknowledged that hope for a two-state solution was fading, but insisted: “We must not let that light go out.”
- Hamas sanctions: Starmer said recognition was not a reward for Hamas, as Israel has claimed, as he said the UK will also take further action to sanction senior figures in the Hamas leadership in the coming weeks.
- Canada and Australia in step: The UK announcement came on the heels of a formal recognition of a Palestinian state by Canada and Australia.
- Israeli condemnation: Israeli politicians have condemned the decision, with Knesset speaker Amir Ohana describing Starmer as a “modern-day appeaser who chose dishonour.” Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s far-right Minister of National Security, said the recognition was a reward for murderers.
- Upcoming UNGA meeting: The upcoming UN General Assembly in New York next week is also expected to see France recognize a Palestinian state. Today’s moves have put the UK, Canada and Australia at odds with the US.
Netanyahu says some progress in Syria talks and describes calls for Palestinian statehood as "absurd"
While we’ve been focusing on western nations recognizing a Palestinian state, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile said there was “some progress” in talks with Syria, raising the possibility of peace.
At a cabinet meeting today, Netanyahu said: “Our victories in Lebanon against Hezbollah have opened a window to a possibility that was not even imagined before our recent operations: the possibility of peace with our northern neighbors.”
“We are holding talks with the Syrians — there is some progress, but it is still premature,” Netanyahu said.
Israeli and Syrian delegations met in Paris in August – the first time that the new Syrian government acknowledged direct talks with Israel.
Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa has spoken of the possibility of a deconfliction agreement with Israel along the lines of a 1974 agreement that separated Syrian and Israeli forces after the war the previous year.
Al-Sharaa left for New York Sunday to take part in the UN General Assembly.
Possibility of negotiated settlement for two-state solution has been "gravely eroded," Canadian PM says
In his statement announcing Canada’s recognition of a Palestinian state, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada had expected the outcome would have been achieved through a “negotiated settlement.”
Carney conceded the possibility “has been steadily and gravely eroded,” by the “pervasive threat of Hamas terrorism,” Israel’s accelerated settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the Israeli government’s “contribution to the humanitarian disaster in Gaza.”
The Canadian leader cited Hamas’ “longstanding rejection of Israel’s right to exist and a two-state solution” as a key factor behind the move.
The prime minister also criticized the current Israeli government for “working methodically” to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, through its “unrelenting policy of settlement expansion in the West Bank” and its contribution to the “humanitarian disaster in Gaza.”
Palestinian president welcomes UK recognition of statehood
Reaction now from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has welcomed the UK’s announcement that it is recognizing a Palestinian state.
Abbas said the recognition was “an important and necessary step towards achieving a just and lasting peace” and would pave the way for the implementation of a two-state solution, allowing Palestine to live side by side with Israel in “security, peace, and good neighborliness.”
Abbas said the immediate priority was a ceasefire in Gaza, “the entry of aid, the release of all hostages and prisoners, [and] a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.”
Two-state solution path to “enduring peace and security” for Israelis and Palestinians, Australia says
More now from Australia following its recognition of Palestine. The decision marks a “longstanding commitment to a two-state solution,” the statement from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong said.
“Today’s act of recognition reflects Australia’s longstanding commitment to a two-state solution, which has always been the path to enduring peace and security for the Israeli and Palestinian peoples,” the statement said.
The statement also laid out key requirements from the international community for the Palestinian Authority:
- “The President of the Palestinian Authority has restated its recognition of Israel’s right to exist, and given direct undertakings to Australia, including commitments to hold democratic elections and enact significant reform to finance, governance and education.”
- “The terrorist organisation Hamas must have no role in Palestine.”
- “Further steps, including the establishment of diplomatic relations and opening of embassies, will be considered as the Palestinian Authority makes progress on its commitment to reform.”
Israeli politicians condemn move by UK, Australia and Canada to recognize Palestinian state
Israeli politicians have condemned the decision by the UK, Australia and Canada to recognize a Palestinian state, a move that deepens Israel’s isolation on the international stage.
The Knesset speaker Amir Ohana dismissed Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer as a “modern-day appeaser who chose dishonour.”
Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s far-right Minister of National Security, said the recognition was a reward for murderers and “requires immediate countermeasures: the immediate application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria and the total dismantling of the ‘Palestinian’ Authority.”
Judea and Samaria is the term usually used in Israel to refer to the occupied West Bank.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded by saying that the time when Britain and other countries determined Israel’s future was over.
Yair Golan, an Israeli politician who leads the left-wing Democrats party, said the “unilateral recognition” of a Palestinian state is “a severe diplomatic failure by Netanyahu and Smotrich — a destructive move for Israel’s security.”
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, which has represented the families of those taken hostage on October 7, said that it “condemns various nations’ unconditional recognition of a Palestinian state while turning a blind eye to the fact that 48 hostages remain in Hamas captivity following the October 7th massacre.”
There’s been no statement yet from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
UK announces it's recognizing a Palestinian state
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Sunday that the United Kingdom was formally recognizing a Palestinian state and reviving hope for a two-state solution, in step with Australia and Canada.
“That means a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state. At the moment, we have neither.”
The British Prime Minister acknowledged that hope for a two-state solution was fading, but insisted: “We must not let that light go out.”
Starmer said that recognition was not a reward for Hamas, as Israel has claimed. The UK’s call for a two-state solution means that Hamas can have no future, he said.
Starmer also said the immense destruction in Gaza was “utterly intolerable” and must end. Israel must stop its cruel tactics and allow aid to surge into Gaza, he said.
The UK will also take further action to sanction senior figures in the Hamas leadership in the coming weeks, Starmer said.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Sunday’s decision was “an important step to preserve the prospect of a two-state solution, at a time when it is now under unprecedented threat.”
A statement from the British government said the decision “does not remove the demands the government has made of the Palestinian Authority to conduct extensive reform. President Abbas has committed to this reform, including organising new elections within a year of a ceasefire.”
Australia announces formal recognition of Palestinian state
Australia has just followed Canada’s lead in officially recognizing the “independent and sovereign” State of Palestine.
“In doing so, Australia recognises the legitimate and long held aspirations of the people of Palestine to a state of their own,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Affairs minister Penny Wong said in a joint statement.
Australia’s recognition of Palestine is part of a “co-ordinated international effort to build new momentum for a two-state solution, starting with a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages taken in the atrocities of October 7, 2023,” the statement added.
Canada recognizes Palestinian state
Canada has announced that it recognizes the State of Palestine, in a move expected to be mirrored by the United Kingdom later today, and France and others at the UN General Assembly this week.
“Canada recognises the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the state of Palestine and the State of Israel,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a post on X.
Carney had said in July that his country intended to recognize the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly. At the time the plan drew condemnation from Israeli officials, who painted the decision as a “reward to Hamas.”
“The Palestinian Authority has renounced violence, has recognized Israel and is committed to the two-state solution,” a senior Canadian government official told CNN shortly before Sunday’s announcement. “We are recognizing the State of Palestine in order to empower those who seek peaceful coexistence and marginalize Hamas.”
Ahead of Carney’s statement, senior Canadian officials pushed back on Israel’s negative reaction to the decision, telling CNN that recognizing Palestine is “not being done to confront or punish Israel.”
“Our sincere communication efforts are to explain this and do everything in our power to prevent the voices that are trying to make this a confrontational gesture from gaining the day,” one senior Canadian official said.
Canadian officials added that they believe recognition keeps a two-state solution in play despite Israel’s open opposition to the prospect of a Palestinian state.
Carney’s announcement in July also provoked criticism from US President Donald Trump, who promptly suggested that the move would hurt Canada in any trade talks with the United States.
Watch: Britons react to PM's plans to recognize Palestinian statehood
As British Prime Minister Keir Starmer looks set to recognize a Palestinian state later today, Brits in London appeared split over the move.
Peter, a 70-year-old retired police officer, said the recognition is “rewarding Hamas.”
Michael Angus, a 55-year-old charity director, disagreed. “I think it’s acknowledging that there’s a people here who are suffering the most awful genocide. And actually, it’s time for the rest of the world to say enough is enough and give them a place to call home,” he said.
Trump goes into UN General Assembly isolated but defiant
As we’ve reported, US President Donald Trump “disagrees” with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer over recognition of Palestinian statehood.
When Trump delivers the first address of his second term to the annual gathering of global leaders at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, he will also be at odds with more than half of the member nations, including key allies, over the war in Gaza.
The Trump administration has become increasingly isolated on the issue as the conflict nears its two-year mark. As a growing number of countries have denounced Israel’s actions in the enclave, the US has not only stood by its ally but provided it with consistent political cover and military support.
One of the clearest examples of the US’ isolation will come tomorrow, when France and Saudi Arabia co-host a two-state solution conference, supported by 142 of the 193 UN Member States.
The US is not participating in the conference and was one of only 10 countries who voted against the General Assembly resolution backing the high-level gathering.
President Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce that France is recognizing a Palestinian state during the conference, saying in recent days that the move would isolate Hamas. It is a largely symbolic move that some nations have taken in recent months or plan to take in the weeks ahead, and one that Trump administration officials have condemned as counterproductive to peace efforts.
The UK is set to announce its recognition of a Palestinian state this weekend, and Canada, Australia and Belgium expect to join France in making the same announcement during the UN gathering.
Read the full lookahead here.
What is Palestine Action, the activist group banned by the UK government?
The UK’s recognition of Palestinian statehood comes weeks after the government banned a pro-Palestinian activist group.
Palestine Action is an organization that aims to disrupt the operations of weapons manufacturers connected to the Israeli government. It was outlawed by the British government in June following a security breach at the UK’s largest airbase.
It was founded by Huda Ammori and climate activist Richard Barnard in 2020, when the group took its first action to shut down the UK operations of Elbit Systems – Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer – and stated its commitment to “ending global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime.”
Since it was founded, Palestine Action has also, among other actions, occupied, blockaded, spray painted and disrupted the Israeli-French drone company UAV Tactical Systems and the global arms giant Leonardo.
However, it was the group’s late June 2025 action – when activists broke into Britain’s largest airbase, RAF Brize Norton, and vandalized two Airbus Voyager refueling planes with paint and crowbars – that spurred serious government action.
Days later, then-UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper – who was made foreign secretary in a recent cabinet reshuffle – designated Palestine Action as a terror group, placing it on equal footing with organizations such as Hamas, al Qaeda and ISIS – sparking condemnation from United Nations experts, human rights groups, and politicians.
Hundreds have been arrested trying to protest the activist group’s ban.
Almost 900 demonstrators were arrested in London earlier this month, marking the largest mass arrest in the English capital in decades.
Gaza hospitals report nearly 50 dead as Israeli operation in Gaza City continues
Dozens of people have been reported killed as the Israeli military presses on with operations in the Gaza City area.
Hospitals in Gaza reported receiving nearly 50 bodies in the first 12 hours of Sunday. More than half arrived at al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza, an indication of the current focus of Israeli operations.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said that over the past 24 hours 75 bodies and more than 300 injured people arrived at hospitals. The ministry - which does not distinguish between civilian and militant casualties - says the cumulative death toll as a result of Israeli military operations since October 2023 had reached 65,283.
The Israeli military said Sunday “numerous terrorists who were preparing to carry out terror attacks” had been killed in the last day in the Gaza City area but did not offer a precise figure.
The military added that troops had also dismantled Hamas’ military infrastructure sites in the area and uncovered hidden explosives. It said one airstrike had set off “numerous secondary explosions.”
An intensifying campaign: Israel is attempting to take control of Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban area, which it says is a Hamas stronghold.
The Israel Defense Forces says more than 500,000 Palestinians have left the Gaza City area since it ordered civilians to evacuate on September 9.
People in the area told CNN Sunday that northern neighborhoods have emptied as people have moved to western parts of Gaza City or joined the exodus toward central and southern Gaza.
"Wrongs are being righted," says Palestinian envoy
Some reaction now to the UK’s forthcoming announcement of Palestinian statehood recognition from the Palestinian envoy to the UK, Husam Zomlot.
Speaking to the BBC today, he said the move meant “wrongs are being righted.”
“This is more about Britain than it is about Palestine,” Zomlot said. “Palestine existed long before the Balfour Declaration, Palestine existed long before Israel.”
“The issue today is ending the denial of our existence that started 108 years ago, in 1917,” he added.
For context: The Balfour Declaration expressed support for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people” in a letter written by then Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour.
The Israeli government has maintained it is conducting the war in Gaza in self-defense and in accordance with international law, firmly denying accusations of genocide.
Europe and G7 split on recognizing Palestinian state
While France, the UK and Canada are set to become the first G7 members to recognize a Palestinian state, Germany and Italy have made it clear that they have no intention to follow suit.
They and several other European governments believe recognition should be part of two-state negotations - however distant that prospect.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz has been a long-time opponent of recognizing a Palestinian state and won’t be attending the UN General Assembly in New York this week where France and Saudi Arabia will harness international support for the move.
“The German government is not currently considering recognizing Palestinian statehood,” Merz said on Thursday in Madrid. “We continue to view such recognition as one of the final steps, not one of the first, on the path to a two-state solution.”
Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said in July that recognizing a Palestinian state before it was established could be counterproductive.
“I am very much in favor of the State of Palestine, but I am not in favor of recognizing it prior to establishing it,” Meloni told Italian outlet La Repubblica.
Japan has taken a similar stance and does not plan to recognize a Palestinian state at UN meetings next week, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said on Friday.
He said that while Japan supports a two-state solution, it was a matter of when to recognize a Palestinian state.
