The Arab world has called on Hamas to disband and surrender control of Gaza, in a dramatic shift that could pave the way for peace in the region.
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt were among 17 nations, along with Britain, France and Canada, to sign a declaration demanding the terror group be dismantled and barred from any future role in governing Palestine.
The joint statement, issued after a high-level conference at the United Nations, also condemned Hamas’s barbaric October 7 attack on Israel and demanded the release of all remaining hostages.
It marks the first time key Arab powers have publicly turned against Hamas and called for the group to be stripped of power – a move hailed as ‘historic and unprecedented’ by France’s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
The declaration calls on Hamas to hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international support, as part of a push for a two-state solution.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy backed the joint statement at the UN, saying: ‘Hamas must never be rewarded for the monstrous attack on October 7.
‘It must immediately release the hostages, agree to an immediate ceasefire, accept it will have no role in governing Gaza and commit to disarmament.’
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UN agencies have warned there is man-made, mass starvation in Gaza, with more than 100 people believed to have died of malnutrition.
The crisis has been blamed on Israel, which controls the entry of all supplies to the territory. Israel accuses Hamas of stealing the aid.
Nearly 900 civilians, including children, are said to have been killed by IDF forces while queueing for food at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid sites run by Israel.
Palestinian Abu Abel told ABC News: ‘Guards open fire on anyone who steps even slightly out of line. There are no warnings. A few centimetres off, and they shoot to kill, aiming for the head or chest.’
The declaration also urges Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly commit to a two-state solution, something he has so far refused to do.
The statement reads: ‘Only by ending the war in Gaza, releasing all hostages, ending occupation, rejecting violence and terror, realising an independent, sovereign, and democratic Palestinian State… can normal relations and coexistence among the region’s peoples and states be achieved.’
It also calls for the deployment of a temporary international stabilisation mission in Gaza once the war ends, under the authority of the UN and with regional support.
Neither Israel nor the United States attended the United Nations conference or signed the declaration.
Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran – which sponsors Hamas and other terror groups – is deeply opposed to normalising relations between Israel and its Arab neighbours.
It is widely believed one of the objectives of October 7 atrocities was to disrupt talks between Saudi and Israel.
Earlier this month, Hamas sources told Saudi media the group would be willing to lay down arms as part of a ceasefire deal, though such a move would likely face fierce opposition from hardliners within the group.
French president Emmanuel Macron said last week that his country would recognise Palestinian statehood, part of growing international pressure on both sides to move toward a long-delayed peace agreement.
Despite decades of global support for a two-state solution, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres admitted this week that the prospect is ‘farther than ever before’.
Reported by Daily Mail
