Muslim bloc slams Gaza ceasefire breaches
A Palestinian man carries the body of his 5-month-old brother, Ahmed Al-Nader, who was reportedly killed the previous day along with other family members in an Israeli shelling on a school-turned-shelter in the Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City, ahead of his funeral. PHOTO: AFP
Pakistan, along with seven other Muslim-countries, on Sunday strongly condemned Israel's repeated violations of the ceasefire in Gaza, warning that the continued attacks risk derailing fragile efforts to restore calm and push forward a political process aimed at long-term stability.
In a joint statement issued by the Foreign Ministry here, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said Israel's actions had resulted in the killing and injury of more than a thousand Palestinians, sharply escalating tensions at a critical moment.
The ministers cautioned that the repeated violations threaten to undermine regional and international efforts currently under way to consolidate calm, particularly as stakeholders work collectively to advance the second phase of US President Donald Trump's peace plan and implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803.
They described Israel's actions as a direct threat to the political process, stressing that continued hostilities were obstructing the efforts to create the necessary conditions for Gaza's transition to a more stable phase, both in security and humanitarian terms.
Emphasising the urgency of the situation, the foreign ministers underlined the necessity of full commitment by all parties to ensure the success of the second phase of President Trump's peace plan, noting that sustained violations could reverse hard-won progress toward de-escalation.
The statement also called on all sides to fully uphold their responsibilities during what it termed a "critical period," urging maximum restraint to preserve and sustain the ceasefire. The ministers warned against any actions that could undermine the ongoing process and stressed the importance of creating favourable conditions for early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza.
Reaffirming their broader political position, the foreign ministers said lasting peace could only be achieved by advancing a just settlement grounded in the Palestinian right to self-determination and statehood, in accordance with international law, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.
The joint condemnation comes amid growing international concern over the fragility of the Gaza ceasefire, brokered after weeks of intense fighting that caused widespread destruction and a mounting humanitarian crisis.
Despite diplomatic efforts to stabilise the situation, renewed Israeli strikes have raised fears of a wider escalation and further civilian suffering. Islamabad has consistently called for an immediate end to hostilities, unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza and the revival of a credible political process to resolve the decades-old Palestinian issue.