LONDON (BN24) — The United Kingdom has warned it will formally recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes immediate action to ease the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and agrees to a ceasefire in its ongoing war with Hamas. The ultimatum, issued Tuesday by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government, comes amid mounting evidence of mass starvation and a soaring death toll in the besieged enclave.
The threat to recognize Palestinian statehood — following a similar declaration from France — triggered a sharp rebuke from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accused the UK of “rewarding Hamas’s monstrous terrorism and punishing its victims.”
Starmer’s remarks were made shortly after the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global food crisis monitor, warned that Gaza is on the brink of a formal famine declaration. According to the IPC, conditions in most of Gaza now meet the technical threshold for famine, including widespread food insecurity, malnutrition, and rising death rates.
Palestinian authorities said on Tuesday that the confirmed death toll in Gaza has surpassed 60,000 since Israel launched its military campaign in October 2023 following a deadly cross-border assault by Hamas. The war, which has flattened much of the Gaza Strip and spread instability across the Middle East, is now the deadliest conflict involving Israel since its founding in 1948.
Starmer told his Cabinet that unless Israel takes “substantive steps” to relieve the crisis — including ending its military campaign, halting annexation plans in the West Bank, and committing to a genuine peace process — the UK will recognize Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
“This recognition would be a symbolic gesture of support for a two-state solution,” a spokesperson said, noting that it would not immediately alter Israel’s control over Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the West Bank.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the announcement, calling it “bold,” while Israeli officials warned it would embolden Hamas and threaten Western democracies. “A jihadist state on Israel’s border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW,” Netanyahu wrote on X.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who met with Starmer in Scotland on Monday, initially said he “did not mind” if the UK recognized a Palestinian state but changed tone aboard Air Force One Tuesday. “I don’t think Hamas should be rewarded,” Trump said, signaling no shift in his administration’s refusal to back Palestinian statehood.
Despite Israeli claims that thousands of aid trucks have entered Gaza in recent weeks, humanitarian agencies report that food supplies remain critically low. The U.N. World Food Programme said Tuesday it is still being denied adequate access to distribute sufficient aid, despite Israel’s announcement of “humanitarian pauses” in its military operations.
“Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths,” the IPC said, warning that famine conditions are likely already present.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said 147 people, including 88 children, have died from starvation in recent weeks. Horrific images of emaciated children have sparked global outrage and prompted Trump to promise the establishment of emergency food centers.
Israel has denied allegations of using starvation as a weapon of war. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar acknowledged that conditions in Gaza are “tough” but insisted that reports of mass starvation are exaggerated or false.
Overnight Israeli airstrikes killed at least 30 Palestinians in the Nuseirat refugee camp, according to Gaza health officials. Al-Awda Hospital reported that the dead included 14 women and 12 children. Separately, Israeli troops opened fire on crowds waiting for aid along the Salahudeen Road, killing 13 people and injuring dozens, hospital staff said.
Since Israel began ground operations in Gaza last October, 454 Israeli soldiers have been killed. The total Palestinian toll, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters, continues to rise — and thousands more are feared buried under rubble, according to Palestinian officials.
Aid agencies say airdrops — one of the few remaining means of reaching some parts of Gaza — are largely ineffective and symbolic. Israel and the United States have accused Hamas of stealing aid, a charge Hamas denies. The U.N. says it has seen no significant evidence of aid diversion and accuses Israel of weaponizing access.
As the humanitarian and political pressure intensifies, Britain’s move to recognize a Palestinian state could further isolate Israel on the world stage — and potentially shift the diplomatic landscape of the Middle East conflict.
