More than 39,000 children in Gaza have lost one or both of their parents, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics announced in April. Among them are about 17,000 children who have been deprived of both parents since October 2023, according to the bureau.

In the ruins of Gaza City, one couple is now raising 36 grandchildren whose parents were killed by Israel. They now face the myriad of daily challenges of looking after and protecting them.

The Aliwa family is among those who lost generations. Since their five sons were all killed during Israel’s two-year assault on Gaza, Hamed and Rida Aliwa are raising the orphaned grandchildren.

“These children need care,” 60-year-old Rida told Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum in Gaza City. “They need food, water and special attention. It’s a huge responsibility that brings me immense stress.”

Each of these children has experienced the pain and suffering of Israel’s two-year war on Gaza; they have learned to share a single loaf of bread and fall asleep to the sound of explosions.

Every morning, Hamed and Rida get up and face the day, not for themselves, but for those who now call them mother and father.

Rida is unable to hide the grief of losing her sons, “I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss them. I miss them deeply. My heart aches for them. My sons meant everything to me — they were the reason I kept going. Now, I’m taking care of their injured children.”
At least 20,000 children are among the dead — one child killed every hour for the past 24 months. UNICEF estimated that 3,000 to 4,000 children in Gaza have lost one or more limbs

Every day for the Aliwas is a wrenching struggle to find food, to fetch clean water and to keep the little ones safe.

“The basic elements of life are almost impossible to find,” Hamed Aliwa told Al Jazeera.

They have no guarantees, no permanent shelter, no certainty of what perils tomorrow will bring.

A United States-brokered ceasefire took effect in Gaza on October 10. Since the truce began, about 473,000 people have returned to northern Gaza, where they face widespread property destruction and critical shortages of necessities, including food and water, according to the United Nations.

“We live under the constant sound of drones that keep us awake all night, and we are scared that the war could start again,” Hamed said.
by al jazeera staff

For the latest updates on the Israel-Palestine conflict, visit our dedicated page.

“Israel’s new ground offensive in Gaza City is horrific. It worsens the humanitarian crisis and jeopardizes the release of the hostages. The Government of Israel must adhere to international law,” Canada’s Foreign Policy office said in a post on X.

It added that Canada stands with international partners in demanding “an immediate and permanent ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian aid and the release of all hostages.”

The renewed offensive comes as international pressure mounts on Israel to halt its military operations in Gaza, where months of conflict have left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead, displaced millions, and pushed the enclave to the brink of famine.

On Tuesday, a United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had incited these acts.

It cites examples of the scale of the killings, aid blockages, forced displacement and the destruction of a fertility clinic to back up its genocide finding, adding its voice to rights groups and others that have reached the same conclusion.

Canada’s latest statement marks one of its strongest criticisms of Israel since the war began, underscoring growing concern among Western allies over the escalating violence and its impact on civilians.

Organisers for the day of action on Monday condemned the Italian government and European Union's complicity in the atrocities on Palestinians in the besieged Strip.

They also voiced support for the Global Sumud Flotilla, which is attempting to break Israel's blockade on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to the territory.

The strike was called for by the Autonomous Dockworkers Collective (CALP) and the Basic Union (USB) – a national grassroots trade union confederation known for its militant platform – as well as the Global Movement to Gaza Italy, a solidarity network backing the Flotilla's mission.

Guido Lutrario, USB's national secretary, said the strike will put pressure on the Italian government to take more effective action against Israel.

"We will stop the country – block ports and stations, halt goods and movement to paralyse the nation and force the government to choose whose side it’s on," Lutrario said.

Across Italy, grassroots mobilisations are taking place in opposition to the right-wing government of Giorgia Meloni and in support of the Palestinian people.

At the port of Ravenna in northern Italy on 18 September, two containers carrying explosives bound for Israel were blocked by the city’s mayor Alessandro Barattoni and local authorities after the ship's contents were reported by dockworkers.

Earlier on 7 August, dockworkers in Genoa prevented the Saudi-owned vessel Bahri Yanbu from loading an Oto Melara cannon, produced by the Italian arms manufacturer Leonardo. The weaponry was en-route to the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi.

CALP members from Genoa were on board a vessel that set sail from Genoa on 30 August to join the Sumud Flotilla. An estimated 50,000 people filled the streets of the northern port in a massive show of support.

At a rally accompanying the departure, dockworkers issued a stark warning: that if Israel attacks the flotilla, they will block all goods bound for Israel and halt trade across Europe.

“If we lose contact with our boats, with our comrades, even for just 20 minutes, we will shut down all of Europe," dockworker Riccardo Rudino said.

"Together with our union USB, together with all dockworkers, together with the entire city of Genoa."

'Break the blockade'
Italy is the third largest supplier of arms to Israel after the US and Germany and the sixth largest arms exporter globally.

Genoa is a key Mediterranean shipping hub for Italy and the European Union, handling the equivalent of 2.74m containers in 2023.

According to the CALP, between 13,000 and 14,000 containers leave their region each year bound for Israel.

For that reason, Genoa’s port has become a flashpoint for protests against the use of Italian ports for arms shipments and dockworkers there have a strong history of taking direct action against wars they consider unethical.

In June, together with dockworkers in Marseille, they refused to load arms onto a ship bound for Israel.

Later in July, they coordinated with colleagues in the port of Piraeus in Greece to halt another shipment to Israel; and in August, they stopped a shipment destined for Qatar that would have eventually reached Sudan.

“In the face of states' inaction, it is up to us to shoulder the burden and break the blockade on Gaza. We want to do our part and show that if something needs to be done, it can be done,” said Jose Nivoi, a CALP dockworker now on board one of the vessels heading to Gaza, to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

The dockworkers see themselves as capable of disrupting the war economy in a way that might save lives on the ground.

Past actions, including blocking arms shipments to Saudi Arabia during the war on Yemen, have caused ripples in Italy’s foreign policy.

Niovi said: “I challenge anyone to load a pallet of weapons that kill children and then go home to eat with your own child. How could you stomach it? You can’t just do nothing to stop this barbarity.”

The port workers have faced serious consequences for their political and social activism.

In 2023, they faced prosecution for blocking the Bahri Yanbu and were accused of serious crimes, including criminal association and endangering transport safety.

The judge overseeing the case dismissed it, ruling that their actions were political protests.

The 29-year-old prisoner, named “T Hoxha”, is one of the "Filton 24" – activists from the now-proscribed direct action group Palestine Action who were arrested on terrorism charges.

Those charges were in connection with an action in August 2024, when six activists drove a modified van into the research and development hub of UK-based Israeli arms company, Elbit Systems, in Filton, Bristol.

Hoxha has been on remand since November 2024, awaiting her trial which will start in April 2026.

She launched her hunger strike at HMP Peterborough 22 days ago over the prison’s suspension of her recreational activities, her removal from her job at the prison library, and the withholding of her mail.

A member of Hoxha’s family told Middle East Eye they are concerned that her health is rapidly deteriorating.

"She's developed a rash and jaw ache on her left side," said the family member, who wished to remain anonymous.

"She is constantly nauseous and needs to get up very slowly otherwise her blood pressure drops and she needs to raise her legs up to get the blood circulating back round her head."

Hoxha’s family said that the prison management failed to log her strike until one week in, delaying her healthcare checks, meaning she received her first check on 19 August, despite initiating her strike on the 11th.

She was given electrolytes on the 19th, despite requesting them from the start of her strike, her family said.

The family said that the prison healthcare team only started measuring her ketone and blood sugar levels on 25 August, finding that her ketone levels, which indicate blood acidity, were high and blood sugar low.

High ketone levels can risk the development of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which can be life threatening.

Her family reported that on Friday her blood sugar levels stood at 2.9 mmol/L. Blood sugar levels below 4 mmol/L are considered low. Her ketone level was 3.5mmol/L, which means she could be at risk of DKA.

"She tries to drink one litre of water a day but as the hunger strike has progressed, she's struggling to finish even 500 millilitres a day," the family member said.

They also reported that a nurse tried to make Hoxha sign a waiver form stating that she would bear all the responsibility for her own health, which she refused to do.

Support from US prisoner
The UK government proscribed Palestine Action under anti-terror laws on 4 July, following an incident in which members broke into RAF Brize Norton and attacked with paint and crowbars two planes they said were “used for military operations in Gaza and across the Middle East".

The designation puts Palestine Action on a par with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State under British law, making it a criminal offence to show support for or invite support for the group, punishable by up to 14 years in prison under the Terrorism Act 2000.

In response, hundreds of people have defied the ban, staging rallies across the country in which participants held placards reading: "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action."

According to London's Metropolitan Police, 114 people have been charged with Terrorism Act offences linked to Palestine Action support.

Hoxha's condition has drawn transatlantic support: US prisoner Casey Goonan, who is facing up to 20 years in prison after he pled guilty to setting fire to a police vehicle in response to the treatment of pro-Palestine protestors, on Wednesday launched his own hunger strike from California’s Santa Rita Jail in solidarity along with his cell mate.

“As captives imprisoned for our participation in the Palestinian liberation movement in the West, we have a responsibility to each other across borders to pursue our lives in prison with the same steadfastness as the Palestinian prisoners movement held captive in Israeli prisons,” Goonan and his cellmate said in a statement.

Despite the Filton 24 defendants now facing non-terror related charges, including aggravated burglary and criminal damage, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that it would argue in court that the offences have a “terrorist connection”, which could aggravate their sentences.

Asked to comment on Hoxha's treatment and condition, HMP Peterborough said it could not provide information about specific individuals.

"However, we can confirm that all prisoners have full access to meals. Any prisoner refusing food receives regular medical assessment and support from clinicians, as well as being offered mental health support," it said.

‘When people become powerless, they get desperate'
Hoxha's family say she was removed from her role in the library on 1 August without any explanation.

“She came back from an appointment and checked her timetable and saw that she had been removed from her job,” Hoxha’s family member told MEE.

Prisoners are required to perform a job within the prison, if they do not engage with their assigned role, they can face punishment.

Around the same time, Hoxha was informed she was also being barred from her recreational classes.

“So that means her book club, her creative writing classes, anything which could help stimulate her mind,” her family member said.

She was also informed that her mail was being withheld, without explanation.

Initially, the prison management told Hoxha that she was removed from her role at the library to avoid contact with her co-defendants, who do not work there.

Later, they said that her job would allow her to mix with other prisoners and influence them, according to her lawyer, Katie McFadden.

Hoxha was given verbal assurance that her job would be reinstated, but did not receive confirmation in writing.

When she failed to get a response, Hoxha launched her hunger strike, hanging a sign on her cell door announcing her decision.

“She was just put in a position where she felt so powerless. And when people become powerless, they get really desperate, and she is now fundamentally undermining her long-term health, because it's the only way that she can do something,” McFadden said.

“It's the only little bit of power that she currently has. It's devastating to watch.”

HMP Peterborough told MEE it offers "a wide range of education and employment opportunities within the prison".

"While not every opportunity is suitable for all prisoners, there are options for everyone," it said.

Hoxha's lawyer says she was given a “governor’s adjudication”, an internal disciplinary measure that can result in restrictions on visits and access to prison facilities, in response to her hunger strike.

McFadden says the new restrictions were also administered because Hoxha allegedly tried to instigate a protest by shouting “free Palestine”.

“She’d been told by prison officers that, as far as they’re concerned, it's now illegal to support Palestine, and if you support Palestine, that makes you a terrorist,” she told MEE.

Police have previously confirmed that the proscription targets the group and "does not interfere with the right to protest in support of the Palestinian cause".

McFadden also reported that she was scheduled to meet with Hoxha on Thursday via video link, but the prison authorities cancelled the meeting, informing her that the lawyer had cancelled it.

Increasing pressure
McFadden and two other lawyers representing Palestinian Action members have noted that their treatment has significantly worsened in the aftermath of the group’s proscription.

Lawyer Simon Pook said that four of his clients, all of them women, are facing a sharp deterioration in conditions, including restrictions on their mail and visitations.

“Mail seems to be withheld, depending on who is sorting the rule out whether the rule applies,” Pook told MEE.

According to Pook, despite the senior head of counterterrorism visiting individual prisoners and telling them he didn’t know why their mail was being withheld, it continues to be withheld for certain inmates.

“There's an official list of where you should order your books and your stationery from. But even when that happens, they're not getting the item sent to them,” Pook said.

He added that visits are also arbitrarily withdrawn, or the head of security at the prison is stationed next to a table during a family visit.

Pook also reported that some of his clients have told him that the prison staff are warning other prisoners that they would lose their privileges or their status if they are seen to be talking to Palestine Action prisoners.

“There appears to be a discriminatory practice of saying to other prisoners: these are terrorists, and if you are seen talking to them, you will face a sanction and we will mark you down on the system,” Pook said.

According to Pook, the discriminatory treatment of Palestine Action prisoners was initially “low level”.

“They weren’t used to dealing with such a large number of so-called ‘actionist’ or ‘terrorist’ prisoners, so they were getting their head around it, and they were quick to resolve the errors,” Pook said.

“But since proscription, it's become more punitive. It's become more draconian. Whoever is on duty on the day will determine what the relevant rule is.”

In response to a request for comment, the Ministry of Justice said that, "Terrorists are managed through a specialist, multi-agency case management process, which assesses offenders in terms of their individual risk and need", and that they "deploy a wide range of capabilities to monitor and manage the unique risk posed by terrorism in custody, irrespective of ideology or association with proscribed groups".

"Privileges in prison are granted based on a prisoner’s behavior and engagement with the regime and rehabilitation activities – such as education, work, and substance misuse programs – and can be withdrawn if they behave poorly or refuse to participate", the statement added.

Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) leader Yasser Arafat first declared an independent Palestine on 15 November 1988, including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.

At once, scores of states, notably across the Middle East and Africa, began to recognize Palestine, often in collaboration with regional neighbors.

Now, amid ​Israel’s genocide in Gaza, more countries are formalizing recognition ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York next month.

Full membership of the UN is an essential qualification for statehood. To be accepted, a country must gain a two-thirds majority from the 193-member UNGA – approximately 128 nations. Palestine currently has support from 147 members.

But it will first need approval from the majority of the UN Security Council (UNSC), including all five permanent members: the US, the UK, France, Russia and China.

Several countries, including the US, are still opposed. Others back a two-state solution but say that Palestine is not yet ready to be recognized. An even smaller number initially recognized statehood but have since withdrawn it, or else their position is unclear.

Below, Middle East Eye looks at how individual countries stand on the recognition of Palestine.

Palestine and the G20
The G20 is a forum of the world's 20 key economies from all continents, along with the European Union and the African Union. In relation to Palestine, it gives a snapshot of the thinking among the world's most powerful nations.

To date, 10 G20 members have recognized Palestinian statehood. Six did so in 1988, namely India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, as well as UNSC permanent members USSR (now Russia) and China.

They were joined in 1995 by South Africa, then led by Nelson Mandela, following the country's first apartheid-free elections the previous year. In 2010, Brazil and then Argentina recognized Palestine. Mexico did so in 2025.

At the time of writing, a further four of G20 nations have said they will recognize Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly in September.

On 24 July, France signaled its intent, becoming the first G7 nation to do so. Paris' announcement was followed on 29 July by one from the UK (albeit with conditions attached), then Canada on 30 July and Australia on 11 August.

But five G20 members have yet to offer recognition. Historically, the United States, as Israel’s biggest ally, has always blocked Palestinian statehood at the UN. Given that it also has the power of veto at the UNSC, such opposition presents a huge hurdle for Palestinian aspirations.

After Canada announced it could recognize Palestine, President Donald Trump said on Truth Social: “Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine. That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them.”

Germany, Israel’s biggest European ally, has criticized Israel's war on Gaza, including a ban on arms exports.

But on 26 August, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany would not back statehood at the UNGA, adding: “We do not currently consider the conditions for state recognition to be met in any way.”

In Italy, Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said in an interview with La Repubblica on 26 July that recognition would be “counterproductive” and added: “If something that doesn’t exist is recognised on paper, the problem could appear to be solved when it isn’t."

​South Korea regards the US as a major ally amid tension with North Korea, and is also still reeling from the attempted imposition of martial law in 2024. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun made a much-anticipated official visit to the US in July.

Asked about potential recognition from Seoul, Cho told the Washington Post on 3 August: “We feel that we are vulnerable in the changing situation in Northeast Asia, and frankly speaking, we do not have the luxury of looking at things that have been happening in other regions of the world.”

Japan has also pushed back on speculation about its imminent recognition of Palestine and believes the moment has yet to come. Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said on 30 July: “We will continue to thoroughly assess the suitable timing and measures for recognizing Palestine as a state.”

Palestine and MENA
Unsurprisingly, Arab nations in the Middle East and North Africa were among the first to recognize Palestine.

The very first was Algeria on the same day that Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestinian government-in-exile in Algiers, declared the independence of the State of Palestine on behalf of the PLO.

Others included Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, UAE, Tunisia, Turkey, and Yemen. Iran followed in early 1989.

In 1989, Lebanon recognized the Palestinian Declaration of Independence by poet Mahmoud Darwish. But it did not establish formal diplomatic relations with Palestine until 2008, after the reopening of the PLO office in West Beirut, which had been destroyed during the Israeli occupation in 1982.

The move came during the tenure of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, a key advocate of the Saudi-led Arab Peace Initiative, which aimed to normalize Arab states' relations with Israel in exchange for an Israeli military withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories.

In 2011, Syria and South Sudan offered recognition. Damascus was much slower to do so than neighboring states: the PLO often had strained relations with the now-toppled al-Assad regime, which rejected the 1993 Oslo Accords.

Palestine and Europe
Support from Europe for Palestinian statehood has been slower compared to much of the rest of the world, in part due to the backing that the continent has given to Israel since it was founded in 1948.

In 1988, recognition came from eastern Europe, with Palestine recognized by the then-Communist states of Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Romania.

The USSR also recognized Palestine: when it dissolved in 1991, the successor states of Ukraine and Belarus subsequently retained Palestinian recognition. Serbia did likewise after the breakup of Yugoslavia.

Yet not all eastern European countries did similarly. Czechoslovakia, for example, recognized Palestine in 1988. The country was then divided into Slovakia and the Czech Republic in 1992, but while the former retained recognition, the latter did not.

Cyprus also recognized Palestine in 1988. It was joined by the newly independent states of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Georgia in 1992, and Montenegro in 2006.

What is 'Greater Israel'?
Read More »
In December 2011, Iceland became the first western European state to recognize Palestine after it had been admitted to Unesco. Foreign Minister Ossur Skarphedinsson said: “Iceland didn’t only talk the talk, we walked the walk.” In October 2014, Sweden's new centre-left government did likewise.

On 22 May 2025, Spain, Ireland and Norway jointly announced recognition. They were followed by Slovenia on 3 June.

The subsequent promise of recognition by France and the UK drew anger from Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X: "Starmer rewards Hamas's monstrous terrorism & punishes its victims. A jihadist state on Israel's border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW"

What about the rest of Europe?

Some countries, such as Malta, have also signaled intent to recognize within weeks. And in Belgium, Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said on X on 2 September: "Palestine will be recognized by Belgium at the UN session! And firm sanctions are being imposed against the Israeli government."

In Portugal, the government of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said in a statement on 31 July that it needed to consult with the president and parliament. Debate is ongoing in Croatia, with President Zoran Milanovic in June urging recognition.

But others, while calling for a two-state solution, are less supportive.

Denmark currently holds the presidency of the EU Council and has backed a two-state solution. But Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on 30 July that immediate recognition of Palestine would only be symbolic and change little on the ground, a stance criticized by Norway.

In the Netherlands, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp on 30 July ruled out immediately recognizing Palestine: “At this moment, there is no process underway. Recognizing a Palestinian state now will not make much of a difference on the ground.”

During an official visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories in July, Austria's Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger affirmed Austrian commitment to a two-state solution but went no further. Likewise, Switzerland stopped short of recognition.

In Finland, the recognition debate has split the coalition government. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said on 9 August that recognition would come "when the time is right" and that the issue needed more discussion in government. President Alexander Stubb has previously signaled he is in favor.

The three Baltic states, which hosted a visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog in early August, have also yet to offer recognition. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal has said “there is currently no state to additionally recognize”. Likewise, Latvia says it has no plans, nor does Lithuania, where public support is weaker than in western Europe.

There has also been no recognition from Moldova, which said in 2019 it would move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, although it has yet to do so.

Many in Greece have opposed the genocide in Gaza. But while, in 2015, the Greek parliament approved recognition, the vote was non-binding, and the decision has yet to be implemented.

Hungary, which recognized Palestine in 1988, has become a staunch Israel supporter during the tenure of far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has held office since 2010. And while it has not officially rescinded recognition, its position is unclear.

In May 2024, for instance, Hungary was one of nine countries to vote against a non-binding UNGA resolution advocating Palestinian membership. It also issued a statement criticizing other states for unilaterally recognizing Palestine in 2025.

Palestine and Africa
In the decades after World War Two, many countries in Africa gained independence from their former colonial occupiers, and were thus quick in 1988 to recognize Palestinian statehood.

The list of nations is long: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

They were joined in 1989 by Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Rwanda and then Eswatini (1991), Malawi (1998), the Ivory Coast (2008), and Liberia (2011).

Several much smaller states – or micronations – including Pacific islands such as Palau, Nauru, Micronesia and Tuvalu, have yet to recognize Palestine. At the UN, where all members have equal voting rights when it comes to admitting new states, such micronations can exercise power disproportionate to their real-world influence.

Some observers have speculated that these countries are practicing “chequebook diplomacy”, where votes on contentious UN proposals are exchanged for foreign direct investment and aid.

In late 2017, for example, Israel gifted Nauru a sewage plant just two weeks before a key UN vote on the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Nauru was one of just nine countries to side with Israel.

Palestine and the Americas
Central and South America have been quicker to recognize Palestinian statehood than neighbors in North America, such as Canada and the US.

First 1988 were Cuba and Nicaragua, respectively ruled at the time by leftists Fidel Castro and Daniel Ortega.

Paraguay followed in 2005, although it has strengthened its ties with Israel in recent years, including opening a new embassy in Jerusalem in December 2024.

Costa Rica recognized Palestine in 2008 and the Dominican Republic and Venezuela in 2009, amid Israel's then-war on Gaza.

But the most significant acceptance of Palestine from a Latin American state came in December 2010, when Brazil gave official recognition following a request from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

By the end of that year, Brazil had been joined by Argentina, Bolivia, and Ecuador; and in 2011 by Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Chile (home to the largest number of Palestinians outside MENA), Dominica, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, Peru, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

In December 2011, Mercosur, the South American economic bloc, signed a free-trade agreement with Palestine. Since then, recognition has come from Guatemala and Haiti (2013), Saint Lucia (2015), Colombia (2018), and Saint Kitts and Nevis (2019).

Support has also continued to grow among the membership of Caricom, a political bloc which represents the interests of Caribbean states. Amid condemnation of Israel's policies in Gaza, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas recognised Palestine in late April and early May 2024.

This leaves Panama as the only country in Central and South America not to recognize Palestine. It has been a long-standing ally of Israel since its creation in 1948, has had its police trained in Israel, and voted against Palestine having non-member “observer state” status at the UN in 2012.

It also wants to keep US onside over ownership of the Panama Canal, on which Washington has set its sights and which has been repeatedly highlighted by Trump.
Cameroon is one of only two African states yet to recognize Palestine (the other is Eritrea). The Guardian Post, the country's only English-language news site, attributes this to President Paul Biya, who has held power for more than four decades, during which he has strengthened ties with Israel, not least militarily.

Palestine and Asia-Pacific
In 1988, Palestine was recognized by Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. The Philippines and Vanuatu did so the following year, with Thailand in 2012.

Following the collapse of the USSR in the early 1990s, newly independent countries in Central Asia likewise recognized Palestine.

These included Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan in 1992; Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in 1994; and Kyrgyzstan in 1995.

Armenia recognized Palestine in 2024: in recent years, it has had mixed relations with Israel, amid tension over Israel's support for Azerbaijan, the mistreatment of Armenians in Israel, and Israel's ambivalence towards recognition of the Armenian Genocide (which in August 2025 Netanyahu said he recognized).

New Zealand has yet to follow its neighbor, Australia and officially recognize Palestine. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on 30 July that while it believed very strongly in a two-state solution, it wanted to focus more on aid relief. More recently, Luxon has been more critical of Netanyahu, saying: "I think he has lost the plot."

Fiji does not recognize Palestine, and has emerged as an ally of Israel: in 2024, it criticized the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) advisory opinion that Israel's long-standing occupation of Palestine was unlawful.

Singapore is also yet to officially recognize Palestine, although it said in November that it is "prepared in principle to do so". The city-state has also committed to launching two state-building initiatives with the Palestinian Authority from 2026, including training Palestinian civilian police.

Besides Singapore, Myanmar is the only south-east Asian state yet to recognize Palestine. Ruled by a military junta since 2021, it has been accused of state-led genocide against its Rohingya Muslim minority, and has announced no plans to strengthen diplomatic ties with Palestine.

Papua New Guinea has strong ties with Israel, and at the UN voted against a ceasefire in December 2023. In September 2023, the country moved its embassy to Jerusalem at an opening attended by Netanyahu.

Pro-Palestinian protesters braved heavy winds and rain on Sunday to march across the bridge, chanting “Ceasefire Now” and “Free Palestine”. Some of those attending the march, which the organisers dubbed the “March for Humanity”, carried pots and pans as symbols of the forced starvation wracking Gaza.

The protest came less than a week after a joint statement by Australia and more than a dozen other nations expressed the “willingness or the positive consideration … to recognise the state of Palestine as an essential step towards the two-State solution”.

Australia has called for an end to the war in Gaza, but has so far stopped short of a decision to recognise a Palestinian state.

Police said that up to 90,000 people had attended the protest while the organiser, Palestine Action Group Sydney, said in a Facebook post that as many as 300,000 people may have marched.

Mehreen Faruqi, the New South Wales senator for the left-wing Greens party, addressed the crowd gathered at central Sydney’s Lang Park, calling for the “harshest sanctions on Israel”, accusing its forces of “massacring” Palestinians.

Antony Loewenstein, author of The Palestine Laboratory, a book on the Israeli arms and surveillance industry, who spoke at the rally, told Al Jazeera that protesters are “outraged” not just by what Israel is doing in Gaza, but also by the Australian government’s “complicity”.

“A lot of Australians are aware of this,” he said. “We are deeply complicit, and people are angry that their government is doing little more than talk at this point.”

“I have always said that we will recognize a Palestinian state as a contribution to a proper peace process at the moment of maximum impact for the two-state solution,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in press briefing after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

“I can confirm the UK will recognize the State of Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly in September, unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term sustainable peace reviving the prospect of a two-state solution.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Starmer’s decision “rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism.”

“A jihadist state on Israel’s border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW. Appeasement toward jihadist terrorists always fails. It will fail you too. It will not happen,” Netanyahu said according to a post on X by his office on Tuesday.

Trump echoed some of Israel’s criticism and said he sees the UK’s decision as “rewarding Hamas,” adding that the US has no plans to follow suit. “Essentially, (Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are) saying the same thing, and that’s okay, but you know, doesn’t mean I have to agree,” Trump said.

France commended Starmer’s announcement on Tuesday, with the country’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot saying the UK “joins today in the momentum created by France for the recognition of the State of Palestine.”

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry also lauded the move, as did Palestinian Authority Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh, who said it demonstrates a “commitment to international law and legitimacy.”

Jordan expressed its “appreciation” for Starmer’s decision and said it was a “a step in the right direction toward materializing the two-state solution,” according to the country’s foreign ministry spokesperson.

Scottish First Minister John Swinney welcomed the “intent” behind the decision but said that Palestinian statehood “must not be conditional and must be backed by sanctions against Israel if the violence continues.”

A UN-backed food security agency said on Tuesday that the “worst-case scenario of famine” is currently taking place in the Gaza Strip, with more than 20,000 children admitted for treatment for acute malnutrition between April and mid-July.

In a joint letter, more than 30 former UK ambassadors and 20 former senior British diplomats at the UN said that the “deadly status quo” in Gaza, amid Israel’s two-year war on the enclave, could be broken by the recognition of Palestine.

“The risks of inaction have profound, historic and catastrophic implications,” the letter said, adding that Israel “cannot be secure from threats in the future if the question of Palestine is not taken forward to a political settlement”.

“In the face of the current horror and impunity, words are not enough … A partial suspension of arms sales, delays on trade talks and limited sanctions are far from the full extent of the pressure the UK can bring to bear on Israel,” the letter added.

The signatories of the joint statement included ex-UK ambassadors to Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Syria and Turkey.

Last month, France was preparing to unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state at a major UN conference on the two-state solution beginning on 17 June in New York, which it was set to co-host with Saudi Arabia.

And the US privately warned the two European countries against unilaterally recognising Palestine, sources in the British Foreign Office with knowledge of the matter told MEE.

Shortly afterwards, both countries reportedly decided against recognising Palestine.

The letter from the diplomats came as Archbishop of York, Steve Cottrell, the de facto leader of the Church of England, said Israel’s “war of aggression” was a “grave sin”.

Earlier this week, nearly 60 British MPs and peers called for a full embargo on arms exports to Israel and for the government to be more transparent about the licences it grants for military exports.

ANTARA contributor in Kuala Lumpur reported on Monday, the discussion on the nuclear-free zone will begin today and continue through Tuesday at the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Executive Committee meeting at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC).

The 58th AMM will be officially opened on Wednesday (July 9) by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, followed by an official meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers, including Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono.

The Fourth Conference on Cooperation Among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD IV) will also take place during this period.

The meeting will focus on capacity-building programs, reconstruction of critical infrastructure in Palestine, and the provision of comprehensive and effective humanitarian assistance.

The tribute was part of the 12th annual commemoration organised by the Dutch group Plant an Olive Tree (Plant een Olijfboom) on Sunday, June 2, the Anadolu Agency reported.

Images and videos of the display went viral on social media, capturing rows of children’s shoes, teddy bears, and banners reading “Let Gaza Live”, arranged across the public square. During the event, the names and ages of the children who lost their lives were read aloud.

Esther van der Most, Director of the Plant an Olive Tree Foundation, told Anadolu,
“We have organised similar displays across the Netherlands. It is unacceptable that this continues and that we must still draw attention to the killing of children. Israel must be stopped. This cannot go on. We will keep fighting until this ends.”

“The Dutch government isn’t doing enough. The only effective solution now is strong sanctions. Diplomatic efforts alone are no longer sufficient. This isn’t just about the past year and a half — the Israeli regime has enjoyed decades of impunity, leading to what is now a genocide of the Palestinian people. Historically, the Dutch state has been on the wrong side, and that must change.”

This is not the first such initiative. In March 2024, 14,000 pairs of children’s shoes were arranged in Vredenburg Square, Utrecht, in protest against the war on Gaza.