ISLAMABAD: Pakistan joined other Muslim countries on Tuesday in calling for Israel to “immediately fulfill its outstanding commitments” under the first phase of a plan aimed at ending the conflict in Gaza.
The demand was made in a joint statement attributed to the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Turkiye, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates after they met on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The statement said that as part of its commitments under the Gaza plan, Israel should ensure the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance and early recovery supplies, as well as facilitate the rehabilitation of critical infrastructure.
The ministers stressed the “imperative of preserving the ceasefire and ending all violations”.
They emphasised that the road map for completing the implementation of the of the Gaza plan was an “integral part” of the plan and provided the framework for implementation to advance its second phase.
This included “decommissioning alongside full Israeli withdrawal, the deployment of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), the assumption by the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) of its responsibilities throughout the Gaza Strip, and the launch of early recovery and reconstruction across Gaza”, the statement read.
The ministers called on all parties to fulfill their respective commitments “in good faith and without delay” under the plan.
They further reiterated their “categorical rejection of any measures aimed at the expulsion or the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from their homeland or attempts to alter the territorial or demographic character of the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.
“They deplore in this context the illegal measures aimed at consolidating Israeli control and annexation, including the accelerating settlement expansion, land confiscation, demolition of Palestinian homes, settler violence and terrorism, and forced displacement, and called for their immediate reversal,” the statement said.
The ministers additionally expressed grave concern over measures that undermined the historical and legal status quo of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
Moreover, they welcomed the recent measures taken by the United Kingdom in response to “illegal Israeli settlement activity, as well as broader national and European efforts, including measures to halt trade with illegal Israeli settlements”.
The ministers called for further effective measures to end the expansion of settlements and ensure accountability for settler violence.
They also emphasised that Gaza remained an integral part of the Palestinian territory.
The ministers reaffirmed that the implementation of the Gaza plan must contribute to the reunification of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, and to a “credible and irreversible pathway towards the exercise of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the realisation of a sovereign, viable, and independent Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital” through the implementation of the two-state solution.
They commended the leadership of US President Donald Trump and highlighted the role of the US in ensuring the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan. They called for “sustained and active” US engagement to ensure that all parties fulfilled their commitments, and to overcome obstacles to the implementation of the road map.
“Tangible progress on the ground will strengthen the credibility of the Board of Peace and the authority of the plan and create deeply needed momentum,” the joint statement said.
The eight ministers reaffirmed their readiness to continue working collectively with the US, the Board of Peace, the Palestinian Authority and all relevant parties to advance the full implementation of the Comprehensive Plan and its road map, alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people, fulfill their right to self-determination and independent statehood, and “achieve just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the region”.
Much of Gaza remains in ruins from two years of relentless Israeli bombing that began on Oct 7, 2023.
After a ceasefire deal was struck in October 2025, Trump set out a 20-point peace plan for Gaza that provided for a the supply of humanitarian aid, civilian administration by Palestinian technocrats, Hamas laying down its arms and Israeli forces withdrawing.
But the plan has stalled and the group of technocrats — known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza — has remained outside Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel rejected in August a plan — the latest stage in a US-led ceasefire announced in October — that said Hamas would surrender weapons to a nascent Palestinian governing body.
The plan was endorsed by Hamas in July.
After more than a week of gradually escalating criticism of the plan, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explicitly opposed it as he faced pushback from his right-wing base ahead of elections.
The Israeli military “will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens”, Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting. - Dawn/ANN
