Eight foreign ministers from across the Middle East and the Muslim world jointly condemned Israel on February 1 for repeated violations of a Gaza ceasefire that they say have produced more than 1,000 Palestinian casualties. The statement — issued by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey — warned that continued Israeli action threatens to unravel efforts to consolidate the truce and restore stability in Gaza.
The ministers said breaches of the ceasefire could intensify tensions and derail the second phase of the agreement meant to move the enclave from active hostilities toward a more durable pause. They urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint, to fulfil their responsibilities under the ceasefire and to avoid any measures that would jeopardize reconstruction, humanitarian access and steps toward political progress.
The joint statement is significant because it brings together a mix of states with differing relationships to Israel. Gulf monarchies that have taken tentative diplomatic steps toward Israel in recent years stood alongside long-time critics and countries with no formal ties, signalling a rare, unified regional rebuke when Palestinian civilian suffering rises sharply.
Egypt and Qatar have played direct roles as mediators and facilitators of negotiations and humanitarian flows in and out of Gaza; Jordan is a neighbour with a large Palestinian population and a peace treaty with Israel. Their participation in the condemnation amplifies diplomatic pressure on Tel Aviv while underscoring regional fragility: mediation and normalisation can be swiftly tested by spikes in civilian casualties.
Beyond immediate diplomacy, the ministers framed their call in political terms, reiterating support for Palestinian self-determination and a state based on recognized rights. By linking ceasefire compliance, reconstruction and a two-state political horizon, the group sought to shift attention from discrete military incidents to the broader question of how to translate pauses in fighting into lasting outcomes.
The declaration increases pressure on international actors engaged in the crisis, from Washington and European capitals to the United Nations and regional organizations. If breaches persist, the statement suggests Arab and Muslim governments may have less political room to pursue closer ties with Israel, and more incentive to press for accountability, expanded humanitarian access and a clearer political track toward Palestinian statehood.