Muslim nations welcome Hamas steps on Gaza peace plan | The Express Tribune

Muslim countries, backing the Gaza peace proposal, have welcomed steps taken by Hamas in response to US President Donald Trump’s plan. They have called the move a genuine opportunity to secure a ceasefire and end the crisis in the region, the Foreign Office said.

The statement came as Hamas, the Palestinian group that controls Gaza, on Friday accepted certain key points of US president’s plan — including ending the war, Israel’s withdrawal, and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian captives.

According to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office, Israel is preparing for the ‘immediate implementation’ of the first stage of Trump’s Gaza plan, following Hamas’s response, to secure the release of Israeli hostages.

Shortly afterwards, Israeli media reported that the country’s political leadership had instructed the military to reduce offensive activity in Gaza.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt expressed support for Hamas’s willingness to release hostages, both alive and deceased, and to open negotiations on mechanisms for implementing the US plan.

“The foreign ministers welcomed the steps taken by Hamas regarding US President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the war on Gaza, release all hostages, alive or deceased, and the immediate launch of negotiations on implementation mechanisms,” the statement said.

The ministers also endorsed President Trump’s call on Israel to halt its military campaign. “The foreign ministers also welcomed President Trump’s call on Israel to immediately stop the bombing and begin implementation of the exchange agreement and they expressed appreciation for his commitment to establishing peace in the region,” it added.

“These developments represent a real opportunity to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire, and to address the critical humanitarian conditions, the people in Gaza Strip are facing,” the ministers stressed.

The foreign ministers also welcomed the announcement by Hamas of their readiness to hand over the administrative control of Gaza to a transitional Palestinian Administrative Committee of independent technocrats.

They emphasised the need for the immediate launch of negotiations to agree on mechanisms to implement the proposal, and address all of its aspects.

The Foreign Ministers reiterated their joint commitment to support efforts towards the implementation of the proposal, to work for the immediate end of the war on Gaza, and achieve a comprehensive agreement that ensures unrestricted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, no displacement of the Palestinian people, and that no measures are taken that threaten the security and safety of civilians.

They added that the agreement must also secure the release of hostages, ensure the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza, unify Gaza and the West Bank, and establish a security framework that guarantees the security of all sides, in a manner that leads to the full Israeli withdrawal, and to the rebuilding of Gaza, and that creates a path for a just peace on the basis of the two-state solution.