UNITED NATIONS: Arab countries including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt joined calls on Tuesday for Hamas to disarm and end its rule of Gaza, in a bid to end the devastating war in the Palestinian territory.

Seventeen countries plus the European Union and Arab League threw their weight behind a seven-page text agreed at a United Nations conference on reviving the two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians.

“In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international enga­gement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Pales­tinian State,” said the declaration.

It followed a call on Monday by the Palestinian delegation at the United Nations for both Israel and Hamas to leave Gaza, allowing the Palestinian Authority to administer the coastal territory. The text also condemned the Hamas raid against Israel of Oct 7, 2023.

France, which co-chaired the conference with Saudi Arabia, called the declaration “both historic and unprecedented.”

“For the first time, Arab countries and those in the Middle East condemn Hamas, condemn Oct 7, call for the disarmament of Hamas, call for its exclusion from Palestinian governance, and clearly express their intention to normalise relations with Israel in the future,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2025