Emmanuel Macron has announced France will formally recognise a Palestinian state at an upcoming United Nations General Assembly – a major split from the Group of 7 nations as global patience runs thin over the crisis in Gaza.

In a post on X, the French President said he intended to “make the solemn announcement” at the meeting in September, noting that “there is no alternative”.

“True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the State of Palestine,” Mr Macron wrote.

“The urgency today is to end the war in Gaza and to provide aid to the civilian population. Peace is possible.

“There must be an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and massive humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. It is also necessary to ensure the demilitarisation of Hamas, secure and rebuild Gaza. Finally, it is essential to build the State of Palestine, ensure its viability, and enable it, by accepting its demilitarisation and fully recognising Israel, to contribute to the security of all in the Middle East.

“There is no alternative. The French people want peace in the Middle East. It is up to us, the French, together with the Israelis, the Palestinians, and our European and international partners, to demonstrate that it is possible.”

Mr Macron said he had affirmed the decision in a letter to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The announcement drew immediate condemnation from Israeli leaders. In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza has become”.

“A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel – not to live in peace beside it,” he said in a statement.

“Let’s be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel.”

Defence Minister Israel Katz called it a “disgrace” and a “surrender to terror”. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Mr Macron’s decision was a sign of “moral collapse”, not diplomacy.

“It rewards mass murder and tells Islamist terrorists: kill Jews, and the world will hand you a state,” Mr Bennett said, according to local Israeli news outlet Haaretz.

“This shameful decision will be tossed … into the dustbin of history.”

Speaker of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, wrote on X that the French leader “just awarded Hamas a prize for committing the October 7 massacre”.

“This shameful act is nothing less than a betrayal by one of the so-called ‘leaders’ of the free world,” he continued.

“It sends a chilling message: terrorism pays off. @EmmanualMacron will be remembered as a collaborator with evil – on the wrong side of history.

“I’m ashamed to have met this man. I love France. It deserves more courageous leadership.”

Mr Macron’s move was celebrated by Hamas, with the militant group hailing it as a “positive step” and urging all countries to follow suit despite Israeli opposition.

“We consider this a positive step in the right direction toward doing justice to our oppressed Palestinian people and supporting their legitimate right to self-determination,” Hamas said in a statement.

“We call on all countries of the world – especially European nations and those that have not yet recognised the state of Palestine – to follow France’s lead.”

Senior Palestinian Authority official Hussein al-Sheikh also welcomed the move, saying it “reflects France’s commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people’s rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state”.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry similarly praised “this historic decision”.

Russia, China and India are among the 142 countries that now recognise or plan to recognise Palestinian statehood, according to an AFP tally, but France is the largest Western power – and only member of the G7 – to do so.

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday called for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying such a move could “put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis”.

In a statement, he said he would “hold an emergency call with E3 partners (France and Germany) tomorrow, where we will discuss what we can do to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace”.

Among other countries that could also formally express recognition, Malta, Australia and Canada have raised the possibility.