After UK and France, Canada moves towards Palestinian recognition as Gaza starvation deepens

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday that Canada’s decision came in response to the worsening crisis, including the starvation of civilians in Gaza. “The prospect of a Palestinian state is literally receding before our eyes,” Carney told reporters. “Canada condemns the fact that the Israeli government has allowed a catastrophe to unfold in Gaza.”

Carney added that the decision followed “repeated assurances” from the Palestinian Authority that it is reforming its governance and will exclude Hamas from upcoming general elections planned for 2026.

The announcement came a day after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that the UK would recognize Palestine at September’s UN General Assembly unless Israel moves swiftly to end the suffering in Gaza, reach a ceasefire with Hamas, and recommit to a two-state solution. France declared its intention to recognize Palestinian statehood last week, with President Emmanuel Macron saying the move was necessary to “revive a prospect of peace in the region.”

The cascade of announcements from key Western allies has drawn sharp rebukes from Israel. Its foreign ministry denounced the Canadian move as “a reward for Hamas,” echoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s condemnation of the UK and French decisions. Netanyahu claimed these recognitions would “punish the victims” of terrorism and “legitimize Hamas.”

U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, said he did not believe Hamas should be “rewarded” with Palestinian statehood, even as he acknowledged the growing hunger crisis. “Many people are starving,” he said, promising to set up food centers in Gaza. Trump has otherwise remained non-committal on Palestinian statehood since returning to office in January.

Escalating Humanitarian Crisis
The diplomatic pivot comes amid dire warnings from humanitarian agencies and a soaring death toll in Gaza. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned this week that famine thresholds have already been breached for food consumption in most of Gaza. “Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths,” the IPC said, adding that it would conduct a rapid assessment to formally declare famine.

More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its military offensive following Hamas’ surprise attack on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people in Israel and saw 251 others taken hostage. Palestinian health authorities say at least 154 people, including 89 children, have died from starvation and malnutrition, most of them in recent weeks.

Images of emaciated children have shocked the world. In one tragic case, a two-year-old girl suffering from a brain condition died of hunger because the prescribed milk was unavailable. “She starved. We stood helpless,” her father said from Deir al-Balah.

Though Israel announced limited daily pauses in military operations to allow aid in, the UN says the amount of aid entering Gaza remains “far from enough.” Aid agencies report continued Israeli restrictions on access and movement.

The Hamas-run Gaza media office said Israeli forces killed at least 50 people in three hours on Wednesday as they attempted to access food from U.N. aid trucks in northern Gaza. Israeli gunfire also killed 13 people waiting for aid along Salahudeen Road, according to doctors at Al-Awda Hospital.