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Belgium Ties Palestinian State Recognition to Hamas Exit, Hostage Release, Imposes Sanctions on Israel
People take part in pro-Hamas protest in Brussels, Belgium, Nov. 11, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Yves Herman
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot has announced that Brussels will recognize a Palestinian state at this month’s United Nations General Assembly if the Hamas terrorist group is removed from power in Gaza and all remaining hostages are freed.
“Belgium will recognize Palestine during the joint initiative of France and Saudi Arabia,” the top Belgian diplomat said in a post on X on Tuesday, calling the move a “powerful political and diplomatic signal.”
La Palestine sera reconnue par la Belgique lors de la session de l’ONU ! Et des sanctions fermes sont prises à l’égard du gouvernement israélien. Tout antisémitisme ou glorification du terrorisme par les partisans du Hamas sera aussi plus fortement dénoncé.
Au vu du…
— Maxime PREVOT (@prevotmaxime) September 2, 2025
Prévot’s announcement came after Prime Minister Bart De Wever warned that recognizing a Palestinian state would be “pointless and even counterproductive” without strict conditions in place.
“Hamas must disappear completely, there must be a credible Palestinian Authority, an agreement must be reached on borders, and Israel must receive security guarantees. Without that, recognition makes no sense,” De Wever said last week.
Ahead of this month’s UN gathering, the Belgian declaration marks a conditional pledge to recognize a Palestinian state, provided there is mutual recognition of Israel in the Arab world, democratic elections in “Palestine,” and an agreement on final-status talks between the two parties.
Belgium is the latest country to join the initiative to recognize a Palestinian state, alongside France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and others — a move sharply criticized by US and Israeli officials as a “reward for terrorism.”
Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad has previously praised the increasing Western support as “the fruits of Oct. 7,” citing the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“The fruits of Oct. 7 are what caused the entire world to open its eyes to the Palestinian issue,” the terrorist leader said in an interview with Al Jazeera.
However, Prévot has pushed back against such accusations before, insisting that this initiative does not support or condone terrorism.
“Incidentally, recognition is not at all a reward for the horrific terror of Hamas. On the contrary, it’s about recognizing a state, not a government. And certainly not a terrorist group,” Prevot said in an interview with De Standaard on Sunday.
In his statement, Prévot also announced a package of 12 sanctions targeting Israel and Hamas, including a ban on imports from Jewish communities in the West Bank, entry bans on “two extremist Israeli ministers … and Hamas leaders,” and a review of public procurement policies with Israeli companies.”
“Given the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Palestine … and the violence committed by Israel in violation of international law … Belgium was compelled to take decisive measures to increase pressure on both the Israeli government and Hamas terrorists,” the Belgian diplomat wrote.
“It is not about punishing the Israeli people but about ensuring their government respects international and humanitarian law and taking steps to try to change the situation on the ground,” Prévot continued.
He also affirmed that Belgium will continue advocating within the European Union for the suspension of all cooperation with Jerusalem, including the Association Agreement — a pact governing the EU’s political and economic ties with the Jewish state.
“Belgium will recognize Palestine … to preserve the prospects for a two-state solution and to condemn Israel’s expansionist intentions through its settlement programs and military occupations,” Prévot said.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.