Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said on Monday that he had instructed his cabinet to begin preparations for recognizing the state of Palestine. Speaking to VRT, he added: „I don’t know if we will be ready for Friday,” referring to the planned ministerial meeting, „but it will be on the agenda soon.”
The move came after Hamas announced it would dissolve its Gaza administration after nearly two decades of ruling the Gaza Strip, a move that was one of Prevot's main conditions for recognizing Palestine.
Monday's announcement paves the way for a transition of government to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a Cairo-based committee of Palestinian technocrats from Gaza who will run the day-to-day affairs of the enclave as part of a ceasefire deal brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt in September.
Last year, Prime Minister Bart De Wever announced at the UN headquarters in New York that Belgium would recognize Palestine under certain conditions, including the release of all hostages and the removal of Hamas from the Gaza administration.
„Last summer, after a long struggle, we reached an agreement with the federal government,” said one member of parliament whose party had urged the Belgian government to take the step on Monday, adding: „Belgium must not break its word.”
Belgium would be one of the European countries that has taken steps to recognize Palestine in recent years, since Israel's genocide against the Palestinian territories that has been ongoing since October 2023. More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict so far, and thousands more have disappeared or are believed to have died under the rubble.
Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognized the state of Palestine in 2024, joining more than 140 UN member states. The United Kingdom, Canada and Australia officially announced their recognition of Palestinian statehood in September 2025, followed immediately by France and Portugal – a decision condemned by the United States and Israel.
