Middle East: Canada set to recognize Palestinian state

As Israel's military offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas continues, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, say aid groups. The territory has been in the grip of war for almost 22 months.

According to a UN-mandated report, Gaza's 2-million-plus inhabitants now face an unfolding famine.

Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of the United Nations Office for Project Services or UN OPS, which organizes the delivery of humanitarian aid, spoke to DW about the situation on the ground.

"It's time to stop this. This is unacceptable and I really hope that the political will prevail because war is not… war is a choice, as peace is a choice, so it's time to bring peace to Gaza," he said.

Amid international outcry over Gaza's food crisis, Israel has observed a daytime pause in military operations since the weekend on secure routes and in built-up areas to boost aid delivery and distribution.

Some countries have announced airlift missions to deliver humanitarian aid into the territory.

"The improvements from the last three days are improvements, but are a small, small fraction of what the people need," da Silva said.

He also called for the UN to be allowed to again play a key role in aid delivery and distribution.

"We just need to bring the UN back. With the UN, nothing that we are witnessing was happening," he said, referring to the violence that marred the aid system run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF.

"What is happening is unacceptable, is unprecedented, it's tragic, it's catastrophic, but it's a matter of political will," da Silva added. "Nothing of this was inevitable, it was avoidable. And this chaos, this tragic situation is reversible."

Israel has condemned the Canadian government's announcement that it will recognize a Palestinian state in September.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry released a statement saying the decision represented a reward to the Hamas militant group.

"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 ministry said.

The Israeli embassy in Ottawa also sharply criticized the Canadian announcement as being a part of "distorted campaign of international pressure."

"Recognizing a Palestinian state in the absence of accountable government, functioning institutions, or benevolent leadership, rewards and legitimizes the monstrous barbarity of Hamas on October 7, 2023," the embassy said in a statement.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters the move was predicated on the Palestinian Authority's commitment to fundamentally reform its governance, to demilitarize, and to hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part.

Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by Canada, along with the US, UK, the European Union, Germany, Israel, and others. 

Canada "intends" to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday.

The announcement marks a dramatic policy shift by the Canadian government.

Carney justified the decision saying that it was necessary to preserve hopes of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

"Canada intends to recognize the State of Palestine at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025," Carney said.

It follows similar moves by France and the UK in recent days.

Carney said Canada's recognition is predicated on the Palestinian Authority "holding general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state."

Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by Canada, along with the US, UK and the European Union.

Human rights organizations have criticized the plans by Germany and other countries to drop aid into the Gaza Strip via airlifts.

The Berlin-based Center for Humanitarian Action (CHA) called airdropping aid to Gaza "the most senseless airlift ever" as well as "symbolic politics and a waste of money." Its director, Ralf Südhoff, said airlifts were up to 35 times more expensive than land convoys.

Click here to read about why the groups call the effort symbolic politics, inefficient and dangerous.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) called conditions for delivering aid insufficient to meet the needs of the "desperate, hungry people" in Gaza.

"While the UN and its partners are taking advantage of any opportunity to support people in need during the unilateral tactical pauses, the conditions for the delivery of aid and supplies are far from sufficient," the agency said.

OCHA also said fuel deliveries are not enough to keep critical health, emergency, water and telecommunications services running. 

The UN humanitarian agency said Israel's pauses in military operations alone "do not allow for the continuous flow of supplies required to meet immense needs levels in Gaza" and called for all border crossings into Gaza to open and humanitarian supplies to be allowed in. 

"For example, for UN drivers to access the Kerem Shalom crossing — a fenced-off area — Israeli authorities must approve the mission, provide a safe route through which to travel, provide multiple 'green lights' on movement, as well as a pause in bombing, and, ultimately, open the iron gates to allow them to enter."

OCHA warned that deaths due to hunger and malnutrition are still occurring despite Israel's military's tactical pauses, which started four days ago. 

The World Health Organization's chief said getting a continuous flow of medical supplies into Gaza was "critical," as WHO trucks carrying aid headed for the Palestinian territory on Wednesday.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the UN health agency moved 10 trucks from El-Arish in Egypt to Israel’s Kerem Shalom border crossing to the Gaza Strip. He added that the trucks carry "essential medicines, laboratory and water testing supplies."

Two more trucks with medical supplies and 12 pallets of blood products are set to arrive on Thursday, he added.

The WHO said airstrikes and shortages of medical supplies, food, water and fuel have "virtually depleted" Gaza’s already weak health system. Many hospitals have stopped working, and others are barely able to operate.

Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 46 Palestinians overnight into Wednesday morning, the Associated Press reported, citing figures from local hospitals and adding that most of the victims were in crowds looking for food.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on any of the deaths, but in the past has said it only targets militants and blamed civilian deaths on the Hamas militant group.

Seven Palestinians, including a child, have died of starvation in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Wednesday. A total of 89 children have died of hunger in Gaza since the war began. 

The ministry added that 65 Palestinian adults have also died of malnutrition-related causes across Gaza since late June 2025.

According to a UN-mandated report, the roughly 2 million people living in Gaza face an unfolding famine.

The Israeli military body that facilitates the entry of aid to Gaza, COGAT, said 220 aid trucks crossed into the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, and that the food and other humanitarian supplies were awaiting distribution.

More substantial amounts of humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip for the fourth consecutive day, as Israeli authorities face increasing international pressure to ease the catastrophic conditions for Palestinians there.

On Sunday, Israel allowed aid deliveries for the first time in months. An average of about 200 trucks per day have entered Gaza since then. It is a significant increase, but still far below what humanitarian groups say is needed. Before the start of the war in Gaza, 500 trucks were entering the territory each day, according to the United Nations.

UN agencies on Tuesday warned that important food and nutrition levels in Gaza are worse than the famine limits.

"The worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip," another leading international authority on food crises warned on Tuesday.

Israeli soldiers ejected mourners and journalists, including from DW, from the funeral of Awdah Hadaleen, a prominent Palestinian activist.

Hadaleen, who featured in the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land", was killed by an Israeli settler in the West Bank. Graphic content.

The United Kingdom will recognize Palestinian statehood in September unless the Israeli government takes significant steps to end the "appalling situation" in Gaza and meets other conditions, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Tuesday.

Israel rejected Starmer's ultimatum, calling it a "reward for Hamas," comments that were repeated by US President Donald Trump.

UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander responded to the Israeli claim, saying: "This is not a reward for Hamas. Hamas is a vile terrorist organisation that has committed appalling atrocities."

"This is about the Palestinian people," she told LBC radio. "It's about those children that we see in Gaza who are starving to death."

"We've got to ratchet up pressure on the Israeli government to lift the restrictions to get aid back into Gaza," she added.

Alexander also spoke on the BBC's Today Program, rejecting accusations that the government had changed its position for political reasons.

She stated that the Labor Party has a "longstanding commitment" to recognizing the State of Palestine as part of achieving a two-state solution, adding that support for Palestinian statehood had been part of the party's 2024 manifesto.

The UK, along with the United States, the EU and others, designates Hamas as a terrorist organization.

The foreign ministers of 15 countries issued a joint statement following a UN conference in New York on Tuesday aimed at reviving a two-state solution between Israelis and the Palestinians.

The conference was hosted by France and Saudi Arabia. It had been planned to take place earlier in the year but was postponed following Israel's strikes on Iran.

"In New York, together with 14 other countries, France is issuing a collective appeal: we express our desire to recognize 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.

In the statement, 15 signatories affirmed their "unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution."

Nine of the signatories have not yet recognized Palestinian statehood, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. They expressed "the willingness or the positive consideration of their countries" to move toward recognition.

The other signing countries were: Andorra, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia and Spain.

President Emmanuel Macron announced plans last week to formally recognize Palestinian statehood in September, sparking strong opposition from Israel and the United States.

This blog will cover the latest developments across the Middle East, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are at risk of death by starvation in Gaza.

The humanitarian crisis has led to several Western countries saying that they will recognize a Palestinian state as a means to put pressure on Israel.

France has said it will officially recognize Palestine in September, ahead of the 80th UN General Assembly.

The UK also announced on Tuesday that it would recognize Palestinian statehood unless Israel commits to a ceasefire and long-term peace process. Israel rejected the British ultimatum.

Follow along with this blog for up-to-date reports, correspondents' analyses, and explainers on the unfolding situation in Gaza.