Gaza latest: Canada and Australia recognise Palestinian state as Netanyahu brands plans 'absurd'

Israeli backlash to the decision from the UK, Canada and Australia to recognise a Palestinian state has already began.

The Israeli foreign ministry once again framed the decision as a reward for Hamas.

The speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana called Sir Keir Starmer: "A modern-day appeaser who chose dishonour."

Benny Gantz, a former Israeli defence minister, claimed the move "only emboldens Hamas".

He added: "If advancing peace & stability in the Middle East is what you seek, dear Western Leaders - and not buckling to domestic political pressure, then maximum pressure must be applied to Hamas to relinquish power and return the hostages before anything else."

Far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir said the move "demands immediate countermeasures".

These, he claimed, included seizing more land and the "complete crushing of the Palestinian terror authority".

We've just brought you a flurry of news that Canada, Autralia and then the UK have recognised a Palestinian state.

But what does that actually mean?

Follow the link below to find out...

The UK has also recognised a Palestinian state.

It becomes the third G7 nation to do so, hot on the heels of Canada and Australia.

"Today, to revive the hope of peace and a two-state solution, I state clearly, as prime minister of this great country, that the United Kingdom formally recognises the state of Palestine," Starmer says.

The PM was quick to push back on possible criticism he has faced that the decision is a reward for Hamas.

He said:

"This solution is not a reward for Hamas because it means Hamas can have no future, no role in government, no role in security. We have already prescribed and sanctioned Hamas and we will go further."

Watch him speaking here...

Australia has also formally recognised the state of Palestine.

We brought you the news just now that Canada became the first G7 nation to do so.

Australia has followed suit, with Britain expected to do so as well.

In a statement, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the move was a part of a "coordinated international effort" with Canada and the UK.

Read his full statement here:

Canada has recognised the state of Palestine.

Prime Minister Mark Carney says: "Canada recognises the state of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the state of Palestine and the state of Israel."

This makes Canada the first G7 nation to officially recognise Palestine.

In a statement, Carney says: "Over many decades, Canada's commitment to [a two-state solution] was premised on the expectation that this outcome would be eventually achieved as part of a negotiated settlement. Regrettably, this possibility has been steadily and gravely eroded."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country "won't commit suicide" by welcoming a Palestinian state "because of Europe's political needs".

Spokeswoman Shosh Badrosian shared the comments in remarks during a short news conference.

She said:

"There have been media reports suggesting the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is planning on announcing the UK's recognition of a Palestinian state today, a manoeuvre that Prime Minister Netanyahu has called absurd and simply a reward for terrorism... The Prime Minister has made it very clear to me that his message to nations that are taking the avenue to disregard the sheer, utter chaos Hamas has thrusted Gaza into, and Israel, including our soldiers families and, of course, hostages still held in Hamas captivity, that the people of Israel aren't going to commit suicide because of the political needs of European politics."

This opposition isn't new and Israel has been vocal in opposing the British decision, and those taken by other Western nations.

Badrosian also confirmed that Netanyahu will be travelling to New York for the UN General Assembly in the week where some nations will be announcing a recognition of Palestine.

He will make his own case there.

Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett tells our presenter Darren McCaffery that the upcoming decision by Sir Keir Starmer is the wrong one.

Bennett says:

"This is cynical because it's done to pander to the left wing and dishonest backbenchers of Keir Starmer. It's damaging because it's a huge reward to Hamas... But it's also hollow because it has absolutely no implication on the ground."

Bennett was also forceful in his criticism of Starmer's attempts to set conditions for Israel, leveraging the recognition of Palestine against pressuring Israel into providing more aid to Gaza.

"I don't think the United Kingdom is in a place to give us conditions," Bennett says, adding: "Who does Starmer think he is?"

He went on: "The British mandate on Israel ended 77 years ago. He's not going to give us conditions."

Bennett's criticism of Starmer's decision, that it was motivated by domestic politics, has been heard elsewhere in Israel.

He adds:

"Wall to wall in Israel, no one accepts this British stance of telling us these are our conditions. You surrender or else we recognise the Palestinian state. No, sir."

Watch their interview here...

The families of the British hostages held in Gaza and the hostages closely connected to Britain have released a statement ahead of the recognition of a Palestinian state later today.

They said they had repeatedly expressed "deep concerns" to the government that recognising a Palestinian state could, they claimed, delay a ceasefire and be seen as rewarding Hamas.

But, when realising the government intended to press ahead with it, the families presented proposals to the government aimed to "weaken Hamas".

They added:

"The UK must understand that there can be no peaceful future for either Palestinians or Israelis whilst Hamas, and our hostage relatives, remain in Gaza. If it is truly committed to a peaceful future in the region, the UK must now do everything it can to weaken Hamas. It is essential now to work towards a ceasefire. The ongoing violence creates huge risks for the remaining hostages. A diplomatic solution, which the UK says it is working towards, is the most likely way to secure their safe release."

While the decision to recognise a Palestinian state might not have an immediate impact on the ground, it is being felt in the West Bank and Gaza, and in Israel, our Middle East correspondent Adam Parsons says.

He explains there there is anger and fury within the Israeli government.

"But there are many in the West Bank, and Gaza, and even in east Jerusalem, who think that this has profound importance," he adds.

Watch hi report from Jerusalem here...

A pregnant women and her two children were among those killed by Israeli strikes today, Reuters news agency reports.

Citing medics, it adds that relatives searched through the rubble of an apartment building hit in Gaza City, trying to salvage their belongings.

"The mother, the boy, the girl, and the baby in her womb - we found them all gone," said Mosallam Al Hadad, the woman's father-in-law.

He told Reuters his son had been seriously injured in the strike. 

"[He] was in a critical condition. We took him to the hospital, and his leg was amputated," Hadad told Reuters. 

See our 11.03 post for more on the latest strikes.