Muslim bloc urges Israel to honour Gaza plan commitment

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NEW YORK: Pakistan joined other Muslim countries on Tuesday in calling for Israel to “immediately fulfil 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 UAE 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 roadmap for completing the implementation of the Gaza plan was an “integral part” of the plan and provided the framework for implementation to advance its second phase.

Foreign ministers of eight nations call for effective steps to end expansion of illegal settlements

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 fulfil 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 illegal 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.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2026

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