Egypt and seven Arab and Islamic nations have called on Israel to immediately fulfil its outstanding commitments under the first phase Gaza peace plan. The appeal was made following ministerial talks in New York on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly session. The foreign ministers of Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, and Saudi Arabia met to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. They expressed deep concern about the situation and urged Israel to allow safe and unhindered aid deliveries.
The joint statement issued by the eight nations emphasized the need for humanitarian and early-recovery supplies to be delivered immediately to Gaza. The ministers also called for critical infrastructure to be repaired and for the ceasefire to be preserved. All violations, they stressed, must stop. The plan, officially known as the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, took effect nearly a year ago but has failed to halt Israeli attacks or ensure the agreed flow of aid.
The ministers referenced the Gaza roadmap announced by US President Donald Trump in July, which includes weapons decommissioning, a full Israeli withdrawal, and the deployment of the International Stabilization Force. The roadmap also calls for the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza's assumption of responsibility throughout the territory and the launch of early recovery and reconstruction efforts. The ministers stated that the roadmap remains an integral part of the Comprehensive Plan and provides the implementation framework for Phase Two.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the roadmap on August 9, citing the need for Hamas to be "genuinely" disarmed before Israel would withdraw. The eight Arab and Islamic countries accused Israel of obstructing the wider peace plan and undermining efforts to end the war. They urged all parties to carry out their respective commitments in good faith and without delay.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, with around 1.9 million people, roughly 90 percent of Gaza's population, displaced. Approximately 90 percent of the territory's buildings and infrastructure have been damaged or destroyed. The ministers reiterated their categorical rejection of any attempt to expel or forcibly displace Palestinians or alter the territorial or demographic character of the occupied Palestinian territory.
The statement also expressed grave concern over measures undermining the historical and legal status quo at Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. The ministers welcomed the recent British settlement trade ban, which covers goods and some services associated with illegal Israeli settlements. They called for further action to stop settlement expansion and hold perpetrators of settler violence accountable.
The ministers emphasized that Gaza must remain an integral part of the Palestinian territory and that implementing the Comprehensive Plan should reunify the strip with the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. They called for a credible and irreversible pathway towards Palestinian self-determination and the establishment of a sovereign, viable, and independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital under the two-state solution.
Key points
- The eight nations urged Israel to fulfil its commitments under the Gaza peace plan.
- The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, with 1.9 million people displaced.
- The ministers welcomed the British settlement trade ban and called for further action to stop settlement expansion.
