Five Arab countries back negotiation efforts to stop Gaza war

Foreign ministers of Jordan, Qatar, Egypt, UAE, and Saudi Arabia held a virtual meeting on Monday to discuss the Israeli war in Gaza. The Arabic countries voiced their support for negotiation efforts aimed at ending Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

During the meeting, they discussed efforts made by Qatar, Egypt, and the US to reach a deal “that leads to a permanent cease-fire, the release of hostages and detainees, and sufficient delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip," reads a joint statement issued following the meeting.

Reviewing the cease-fire proposal laid out by US President Joe Biden, they emphasised the importance of positively engaging with the US president's proposal to agree on a deal to end the conflict in Gaza, the statement said.

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The ministers underscored the necessity of launching a reconstruction process in Gaza, "as part of a comprehensive plan to implement the two-state solution based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions, with specified timelines and binding guarantees."

On Friday, Biden announced a three-phase plan from Israel to end the hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave. The plan involves an initial six-week ceasefire, followed by the withdrawal of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) from densely populated regions of Gaza and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners. The third phase would involve the reconstruction of Gaza through international aid and cooperation

Hamas said it will “respond positively to any proposal that includes a permanent ceasefire, a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction efforts, the return of the displacement, and the completion of a comprehensive hostage exchange deal”.

On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated on Monday that the government ‘‘intends to continue its deadly offensive on Gaza until all of Tel Aviv’s war goals are met.’’ He claimed that Biden’s remarks about a cease-fire proposal were ‘‘inaccurate.’’

Israel was accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.