ISLAMABAD — Pakistan, alongside several Arab and Islamic nations, has strongly condemned ongoing Israeli ceasefire violations in Gaza, urging an immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces and the delivery of urgent humanitarian assistance to the besieged Palestinian population.
The joint call was issued on Monday following a high-level meeting in Istanbul, attended by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The session focused on reviewing U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed Gaza peace plan and discussing a unified response from the Muslim world.
According to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar represented Islamabad at the meeting, where participants deliberated on steps toward ensuring a lasting ceasefire and sustainable peace in Gaza.
“The leaders jointly called for urgent humanitarian aid for Palestinians, condemned Israeli ceasefire violations, demanded Israel’s withdrawal from the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and emphasized the need for rebuilding Gaza,” the statement read.
Reaffirming Islamabad’s long-standing stance, Pakistan reiterated its unwavering support for the creation of an independent, viable, and contiguous State of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, in accordance with UN and OIC resolutions.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, speaking after the meeting, said Israel must stop its repeated breaches of the U.S.-backed ceasefire and allow unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza. He stressed that any post-war framework should ensure that Palestinians themselves govern and secure their own territory.
Fidan also noted that discussions were ongoing regarding a potential UN stabilization force for Gaza, to be deployed as part of the ceasefire arrangement. Participating countries, he said, would make individual decisions about contributing troops once a formal UN mandate is finalized.
The meeting took place amid escalating tensions in Gaza, where Palestinian officials report that Israeli attacks have killed over 236 people since the ceasefire took effect on October 10. Israel claims three of its soldiers have been killed while targeting what it describes as Hamas positions.
The ceasefire, brokered with U.S. backing, had ended two years of relentless conflict that claimed the lives of more than 67,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children. Israel’s military operations since October 2023 have left Gaza in ruins, destroying schools, hospitals, and vital infrastructure, and triggering one of the gravest humanitarian crises in recent memory.
