Gazans Celebrate, Israelis Denounce Western Recognition of Palestinian State
Gazans Celebrate, Israelis Denounce Western Recognition of Palestinian State
The acknowledgment of a Palestinian state by Britain, Canada, and Australia on Sunday elicited starkly divergent responses, with Palestinians in Gaza welcoming it as a beacon of hope while Israelis expressed indignation and apprehension.
In Gaza, many perceived the recognition as a validation of their existence following nearly two years of conflict between Hamas and Israel.
“We shouldn’t merely be statistics in the news,” remarked Salwa Mansour, 35, who was displaced from Rafah to Al-Mawasi, a humanitarian zone designated by the Israeli military.
“This acknowledgment demonstrates that the world is finally beginning to hear our plight, which in itself is a moral triumph.
“Despite the agony, death, and atrocities we endure, we grasp onto anything that offers even the slightest glimmer of hope,” she added.
A sign is visible outside the Palestine Mission to the UK on September 21, 2025, in west London. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Britain’s formal recognition of a State of Palestine, marking a historic shift in decades of British foreign policy. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
Britain and Canada became the first members of the Group of Seven advanced economies to undertake the step of recognizing a Palestinian state in an effort to exert pressure on Israel to terminate the war in Gaza.
In a bid to capture Gaza City, the largest urban center in the region, the Israeli military has recently intensified its aerial assaults and launched a significant ground offensive.
Thus far, over 550,000 individuals have fled the city, migrating southward, the military reported on Sunday.
On Sunday, at least 32 individuals were killed in Gaza City due to Israeli strikes, according to the territory’s civil defense agency, a rescue force operating under Hamas authority.
Mohammed Abu Khousa, a resident of Deir el-Balah, expressed hope that other nations would also follow suit in recognizing a Palestinian state.
“When countries like Britain and Canada recognize us, it undermines Israel’s legitimacy and invigorates our cause with renewed hope,” he stated.
“This could potentially prompt more countries to acknowledge us, and hopefully bring an end to the conflict.”
A protester waves a Palestinian flag during a march advocating for the “recognition of the State of Palestine and the cessation of genocide,” in Paris on September 21, 2025.
However, not all Palestinians were optimistic about the decision, with some expressing skepticism regarding its ultimate impact.
Recognition alone “is insufficient, as there are nations that have previously recognized Palestine. They acknowledged us years ago, but it did not yield any outcomes,” said Mohammed Azzam, a resident of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
“On the contrary, each day sees an increase in settlers’ attacks, killings, arrests, raids, thefts, and checkpoints proliferating throughout the West Bank.
“They have fragmented the West Bank, its cities, and villages. Even if European countries recognize Palestine, in reality, this does not benefit us at all,” he stated.
Following the decision by Britain, Canada, and Australia, far-right Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir called for the annexation of the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, in violation of international law.
Since the onset of the Gaza conflict in October 2023, violence has surged in the West Bank, and Israel has expanded settlements throughout the Palestinian territory.
Displaced Palestinians fleeing Gaza City established a camp at the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on September 21, 2025. In recent weeks, the Israeli military has launched intense air and ground assaults on the Palestinian territory, a campaign it claims is aimed at eradicating Hamas fighters from Gaza City, the largest urban hub. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
In Jerusalem, Israelis perceived the move as perilous and premature.
“I don’t believe a place like Gaza, where even their own people are deprived of their needs, should attain statehood,” said Tamar Lomonosov, a resident of Beit Shemesh.
“They’re merely seeking a resolution to confront and battle with Israel.”
Muriel Amar, a 62-year-old Franco-Israeli, speaking ahead of France’s own planned recognition, cautioned that the move would overlook vital realities, including the fate of hostages still held in Gaza.
“As long as they haven’t returned home, I don’t see how we can consider moving forward,” she remarked.
“It would also serve as validation for terrorist groups like Hamas, affirming their righteousness, and it would provoke bitterness on the Israeli side.”
The Gaza conflict was ignited by Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The assault resulted in the deaths of 1,219 individuals on the Israeli side, predominantly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli statistics.
During their attack, Palestinian militants also seized 251 hostages, of which 47 remain in Gaza, including 25 whom the Israeli military reports are deceased.
Since then, Israel’s retaliatory military response has claimed the lives of at least 65,283 individuals in Gaza, also predominantly civilians, according to the health ministry of the Hamas-run territory, figures which the United Nations considers credible.
