Gaza latest: UK pushes peace plan as fourth Western nation recognises Palestine before talks at UN

In a statement released today, Qatar has welcomed the recognition of a Palestinian state by four major Western nations.

Yesterday, the UK, Canada, Australia and Portugal all made their announcements.

Qatar, a key mediator in the conflict, said the move supports efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the region.

Earlier this month, Israel targeted Hamas leadership in Doha with a strike - an attack that sparked fury in Qatar and condemnation elsewhere.

A peace plan is high on the agenda for the UK this week, as the UN General Assembly kicks off.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to use the summit to address civilian suffering in war-torn Gaza and aim to strengthen "the international consensus on our pathway for peace in the Middle East".

She will hold bilateral meetings to advance elements of the peace plan, including security measures to ensure Hamas has no role in the future governance of Gaza, according to the Foreign Office.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who won't be at the summit, said yesterday the UK recognises Palestine as an independent state to "revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution".

Five people have been killed in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon, according to the country's health ministry.

Three children were among them, the ministry said, while Lebanon's state news agency said the strike hit a motorbike and a vehicle, wounding two others.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said a father and his three children were among the dead, with the mother wounded in the town of Bint Jbeil.

He added they held US citizenship.

However, a US State Department spokesperson said: "While the situation is fluid, so far, indications are that the five killed were not US citizens.

"In fact, one had an unused immigrant visa petition in the past."

Israel said it killed a Hezbollah member in the strike but "several uninvolved civilians were killed".

"The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to minimise harm as much as possible," it said, adding the incident is "under review". 

Israel has frequently targeted what it calls Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.

That's despite a US-brokered truce between Lebanon and Israel, which took effect last November after more than a year of conflict sparked by war in Gaza.

Lebanon is under pressure from the US, Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah's domestic rivals to disarm the Iranian-backed militant group.

Hezbollah has said it would be a serious misstep even to discuss disarmament. 

We're bound to hear about recognition of a Palestinian state plenty of times this week.

With a flurry of diplomatic meetings over the coming days - and following announcements from the UK, Canada and Australia - more nations could be about to adopt the same stance.

To bring you up to speed on what this actually means and what its impact will be, check out the link below...

More nations could recognise Palestinian statehood this week, after the UK, Australia and Canada did so yesterday.

Since their announcements, Portugal has followed suit. 

Foreign minister Paulo Rangel said recognition is the "realisation of a fundamental, constant, and fundamental line of Portuguese foreign policy".

Portugal "advocates the two-state solution as the only path to a just and lasting peace... a ceasefire is urgent", he added, while Hamas "cannot have any form of control in Gaza or outside it".

He also said Lisbon demands the release of all hostages.

Recognition of the state of Palestine "does not erase the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza", he said, and he condemned starvation there as well as the "expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank".

It's the start of a potentially significant week in the war in Gaza, with the UN General Assembly kicking off tomorrow.

We have our team there now, and we will hear from our lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim regularly over the course of this week.

Before then, France and Saudi Arabia are convening dozens of world leaders today to rally support for a two-state solution.

Israel and the US are boycotting that summit, during which several nations are expected to formally recognise a Palestinian state.

That would follow recognition by four major western states yesterday, with Portugal joining the UK, Australia and Canada.

Benjamin Netanyahu described the move as "absurd" and a "huge reward to terrorism".

Meanwhile, Israeli drone strikes have killed five people in Lebanon, according to the health ministry there.

Stay with us for the latest.

That's all for our live coverage of the war in Gaza and wider Middle East for now.

Today's major news was the formal recognition of a Palestinian state by the UK, Canada and Australia.

The move was condemned by Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it "absurd".

Watch Sir Keir Starmer's announcement here...

All three nations framed their decisions as trying to preserve a two-state solution, at a time when Israel is refusing to countenance such an idea.

Meanwhile, Israel tried to claim the move rewards Hamas - a criticism we've long heard from the country.

Our Middle East correspondent Adam Parsons said the move was largely symbolic - but he pointed out symbolism mattered in Gaza and Israel.

Watch his analysis here...

While diplomatic developments unfolded at pace, Israel continued its assault on Gaza City.

The urban centre is thought to be Hamas's last stronghold.

Israel has demanded that Palestinians leave and move south, and has been pounding the city, levelling high-rise buildings in recent weeks.

Overnight, at least 34 people were killed, mostly in Gaza City.

But yesterday, across the enclave, more than 100 people were killed in Israeli attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

And looking ahead...

The UN General Assembly continues this week, where more nations may also recognise a Palestinian state.

At the same event in New York, Netanyahu is due to speak as well, to put forward his own case.

The British government has called a Palestinian minister after Sir Keir Starmer announced he was formally recognising the state.

Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Hamish Falconer called Dr Fareseen Shaheen, minister of foreign affairs and expatriates, this afternoon.

In a statement, the two were said to have discussed Starmer's decision to formally recognise the state of Palestine.

It added: "Minister Falconer emphasised that this recognition represents a historic moment and the beginning of a long and joint process, emphasising that recognition is a first step, not the end. 

"For her part, Minister Shaheen welcomed the British decision and affirmed the State of Palestine's commitment to continuing on the path of peace, ensuring the interests and rights of the Palestinian people."

Israel has killed four people in a drone strike in Lebanon, the country's health ministry has said.

The attack took place in the southern town of Bint Jbeil.

There were children among the dead, Lebanon's ministry added.

Stepping back from the diplomatic developments of the day, let's bring you some more news from Gaza and the Israeli campaign there now.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has said it is sending more soldiers into Gaza City.

In recent weeks, the IDF has been pounding the city, Hamas's last stronghold in the enclave, and has demanded that Palestinians evacuate south.

"Troops of the 36th Division have begun their entry into Gaza City as part of Operation 'Gideon's Chariots II' after approximately two weeks of increasing preparation for expanded combat operations," it said in a statement.

It added that in recent days it had struck "dozens of terror targets" to allow soldiers to enter the area.