Belgium considering recognition of the state of Palestine: minister

Belgium is considering recognising the state of Palestine, Belgian Minister of Development Cooperation and Major Cities Caroline Janez has said.

In an interview with Al Jazeera on Thursday, Janez said, "I think we can only solve and end this violence through negotiations. Palestinians and Israelis alike have the right to live in peace, to live in security."

"And that means that we also next to the state of Israel that has been recognised, we have to recognise the existence of the state of Palestine and that's the only tenable solution in the long term for peace and security for both peoples," she added.

The Belgian minister said her country was not alone in looking at the recognition of the Palestinian state.

"A lot of European member states, bigger member states like Spain are considering the same," she said.

'Tackling impunity'

Janez said Belgium was also working towards "tackling impunity" with which crimes against people were being carried out.

"I think that's important to tackle impunity," she said, adding: "We will fund an additional €5 million ($5.3 million) to the International Criminal Court (ICC) because there has to be independent, there has to be independent research on what is happening in Gaza right now."

The Belgian minister said allegations of "atrocities" committed by the Israeli defence forces or Hamas in Palestine's Gaza should be investigated. "So, it's important that the international prosecutor of the ICC gets his job done," she said.

Israel has been continuously launching relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged Palestinian enclave since a surprise cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7. As a result of which, at least 10,569 Palestinians, including 4,324 children and 2,823 women, have so far been killed. The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is nearly 1,600.