— Israel's genocide in Gaza enters its 666th day
— 18,500+ children killed by Israel in Gaza since October 2023
— 77 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Friday
— EU commissioner demands access to Gaza
— Trump says Witkoff's Mideast talks 'primarily on food'
France and 14 other Western nations called on countries worldwide to move to recognise a Palestinian state, France's top diplomat said on Wednesday.
"In New York, together with 14 other countries, France is issuing a collective appeal: we express our desire to recognise the State of Palestine and invite those who have not yet done so to join us," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot wrote on X account, following a conference aimed at reviving the two-state solution for Israelis and the Palestinians.
Britain has rejected Israel and US criticism that it was rewarding Hamas by setting out plans to recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel took steps to improve the situation in Gaza and bring about peace.
“This is about the Palestinian people. It's about those children that we see in Gaza who are starving to death," British Transport Minister Heidi Alexander told LBC radio on Wednesday.
“We've got to ratchet up pressure on the Israeli government to lift the restrictions to get aid back into Gaza.”
The sight of emaciated Gaza children has shocked the world in recent days. A hunger monitor warned that a worst-case scenario of famine was unfolding there and immediate action was needed to avoid widespread death.
In a televised address on Tuesday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that moment had now come, highlighting the suffering in Gaza and saying the prospect of a two-state solution — a Palestinian state co-existing in peace alongside Israel — was under threat.
Israeli gunfire at Netzarim axis has killed at least two Palestinians and wounded several others in central Gaza on Wednesday as they waited for aid.
Israeli artillery also shelled the western line area in Khan Younis, located in southern Gaza, according to Wafa.
Additionally, the Israeli army launched further bombardments targeting the western Satar area of Khan Younis, intensifying attacks across the region.
Palestinian National Council Chairman Rawhi Fattouh welcomed UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s pledge to recognise Palestine in September.
He warned that Israel’s continued occupation and attacks, especially in Gaza, threaten both regional and global stability.
Fattouh urged the international community to stop the injustice and ensure accountability under international law.
He called for turning political support into concrete action, including immediate recognition of Palestine within 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and efforts to end the occupation and establish lasting peace.
President Donald Trump claimed that besieged Palestinians suffering from relentless Israeli attacks and forced starvation would leave Gaza if they were given the option.
"I think many would like to leave if they were given an alternative," Trump told reporters.
Palestinian leaders hailed Britain's announcement that it intends to recognise the State of Palestine during a UN General Assembly meeting in September, describing the move as a reaffirmation of its commitment to international law.
"We welcome the United Kingdom's announcement of its intention to recognise the State of Palestine in September," Vice President of Palestine Hussein al-Sheikh wrote on X.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates issued a statement praising British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's announcement, describing it as "a courageous step that places the UK on the right side of history."
US Senator Peter Welch denounced the humanitarian situation in Gaza and called on Congress to take action on the mass starvation in the besieged enclave.
"The Israeli-inflicted starvation of Palestinians in Gaza must end. It must end," Welch said on the Senate floor.
He warned that the US, through funding and weapon transfers to Israel, bears responsibility for the situation.
"The deaths of so many tens of thousands of innocent people in Gaza will become part of our history, because the USA shares responsibility for this catastrophe, and we and future generations of Americans will have to live with that forever," he said.
US Senator Bernie Sanders said that he would immediately force votes to block arms sales to Israel, citing escalating civilian deaths and forced starvation in besieged Gaza.
"US taxpayers have spent tens of billions of dollars in support of the racist, extremist Netanyahu government. Enough is enough," Sanders said in a statement.
