Israeli and U.S. leaders have denounced President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that his country will recognize Palestinian statehood, becoming the first major Western power to do so. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “strongly condemned” the move,

France has announced it will recognize the state of Palestine, a move that could shift discussions about the Middle East's future

“What he says doesn’t matter,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. Macron’s announcement, speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday. “That statement doesn’t carry any weight.”

UK, Germany and France have called on Israel to "immediately lift restrictions on flow of aid" as Palestinians in Gaza face a worsening crisis of malnutrition and starvation.

Meanwhile, people in Gaza face a deepening starvation crisis, with the UN's food aid agency telling AFP almost a third of Gazans are "not eating for days".