According to a statement released by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Palestine has officially joined the Chemical Weapons Convention

The OPCW published the announcement on its website on Wednesday and said the move will take effect on June 16 of this year.

"The State of Palestine deposited on 17 May 2018 its instrument of accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the depositary of the Convention," the OPCW wrote.

The organisation is the official UN body charged with the implementation of the 1993 convention, which is aimed at preventing the manufacture, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons.

Nearly every state in the world has signed and ratified the convention and only four have not, including Egypt, North Korea, and South Sudan.

Israel is a signatory to the treaty but has not ratified it.