Islamabad: Pakistan and seven other Arab-Islamic nations expressed grave concern Tuesday over the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, urging Israel to guarantee uninterrupted humanitarian access and respect the ceasefire.
The announcement followed reports from Gaza health authorities that Israeli operations had killed at least four Palestinians, among them a 10-year-old girl and the son of a senior government figure.
While Israel accepted a U.S.-brokered ceasefire under a peace plan last October, it has continued advancing into Gaza, with the territory’s health ministry reporting over 1,300 deaths. International aid organizations continue facing difficulties delivering assistance to the occupied Palestinian territories.
Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and the United Arab Emirates convened in New York alongside the 81st United Nations General Assembly to address the escalating situation.
“The ministers voiced deep concern regarding ongoing humanitarian suffering in Gaza and demanded that Israel immediately honor its obligations under the First Phase of the Comprehensive Plan, including guaranteeing safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid and early recovery materials, while facilitating the restoration of essential infrastructure,” stated a joint communiqué released by Pakistan’s foreign ministry.
“They emphasized the critical importance of maintaining the ceasefire and halting all violations.”
Trump’s Gaza peace plan outlined a 20-point roadmap, endorsed by the United Nations, aimed at ending the conflict, disarming Hamas, and rebuilding the enclave through phased implementation. The framework was negotiated with mediation from Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, and the United States, alongside the High Representative for Gaza and the Peace Council.
The Arab-Islamic foreign ministers underscored that the roadmap forms an essential component of the Comprehensive Plan and establishes the implementation framework for the second phase, encompassing decommissioning and full Israeli withdrawal, deployment of the International Stabilization Force (ISF), assumption of responsibilities by the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) throughout the Strip, and initiation of early recovery and reconstruction efforts.
They called on all parties to fulfill their commitments in good faith and without delay, reaffirming their absolute rejection of any actions designed to expel or forcibly displace Palestinians from their homeland or to change the territorial or demographic composition of the occupied Palestinian territories.
“They condemned the illegal measures intended to consolidate Israeli control and annexation, including accelerated settlement expansion, land confiscation, demolition of Palestinian homes, settler violence and terrorism, and forced displacement, and called for their immediate cessation. They expressed serious concern over actions undermining the historical and legal status quo of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem,” the joint statement noted.
“The ministers welcomed recent measures adopted by the United Kingdom, along with broader national and European initiatives addressing illegal Israeli settlement activity, including restrictions on trade with illegal settlements, and called for additional effective actions to halt settlement expansion and ensure accountability for settler violence,” the statement added.
“They also emphasized that Gaza must remain an integral part of Palestinian territory and reaffirmed that implementation of the Comprehensive Plan must support reunification of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with the Gaza Strip, and establish a credible, irreversible path toward Palestinian self-determination and a sovereign, viable, independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, through the two-state solution.”
The foreign ministers praised President Trump and affirmed the indispensable role of the United States in ensuring implementation of the Comprehensive Plan.
“They called for sustained, active U.S. engagement to ensure all parties, including Israel, fulfill their commitments and obligations and overcome implementation obstacles. They stressed that tangible progress on the ground would strengthen the credibility of the Board of Peace and the plan’s authority while generating much-needed momentum,” the statement said.
