Some 160 states have signed up to recognize a Palestinian state. In the last week, the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Australia have done so, but the prospect of it becoming a reality amid US opposition and Israeli resistance is at best a distant one.

In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Western countries they were giving Hamas a "reward" for recognizing a Palestinian state.

Israel's military pushed deeper towards the most populated areas of Gaza City on Tuesday, a painful reminder for Gazans that Western powers' recognition of a Palestinian state does not mean an end to the horrors of war as tanks approach.

He said an overwhelming number support a two-state solution to the nearly 80-year Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A host of countries, including France and Canada, are expected to do the same when world leaders gather at the UN General Assembly next week.