Updates: Israel's war on Gaza continues

US President Donald Trump believes that recognising Palestinian statehood would be rewarding Hamas and he does not intend to do that, a White House official said on Wednesday, after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his country's decision on the issue.

“As the president stated, he would be rewarding Hamas if he recognises a Palestinian state, and he doesn’t think they should be rewarded," a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. 

"So he is not going to do that. President Trump’s focus is on getting people fed (in Gaza).”

The official did not respond to a question on whether the US was given advance notice of Carney's announcement.

Israel rejected a statement by Canada's prime minister over a planned recognition of a Palestinian state, saying it represented a reward to militant faction Hamas.

"The change in the position of the Canadian government at this time is a reward for Hamas and harms the efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of the hostages," the Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement early on Thursday.

Canada "intends" to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday, a dramatic policy shift he said was necessary to preserve hopes of a two-state solution.

"Canada intends to recognize the State of Palestine at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025," Carney said, citing "intolerable" suffering in Gaza.

The death toll in Gaza has once again risen despite Israeli “tactical pauses” in fighting in areas of the enclave to deliver crucial humanitarian aid.

Medical sources told Al Jazeera that 75 people were killed in Israeli attacks since dawn, including 63 aid seekers.

Among those, Ambulance and Emergency Services said 37 aid seekers were killed and more than 270 were injured in northern Gaza.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and US special envoy Steve Witkoff discussed in a phone call, intensifying pressure to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

Witkoff is set to travel to Israel on Thursday to address the situation in Gaza as mediators, including Cairo, Doha and Washington, push for talks.

Israel could threaten to annexe parts of Gaza to increase pressure on Hamas, an Israeli minister said, an idea that would deal a blow to Palestinian hopes of statehood on land Israel now occupies.

Accusing Hamas of trying to drag out ceasefire talks to gain Israeli concessions, security cabinet member Zeev Elkin told public broadcaster Kan that Israel may give the group an ultimatum to reach a deal before further expanding its military actions.

"The most painful thing for our enemy is losing lands," he said. "A clarification to Hamas that the moment they play games with us they will lose land that they will never get back would be a significant pressure tool."

Mediation efforts aimed at reaching a deal that would secure a 60-day ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas ground to a halt last week, with the sides trading blame for the impasse.

US envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Israel for talks on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Axios reported, citing two US officials.

Gaza's Health Ministry has said that seven more people have died from "famine and malnutrition", raising the total number of starvation-related deaths during the ongoing conflict to 154, including 89 children, Al Jazeera reported.

The ministry, in a statement released on Telegram, stated that the seven new deaths were recorded in various hospitals across the enclave.