• Defence minister voices alarm over ongoing Israeli ceasefire violations
• Says Turkish president has already expressed concerns
• Points out at least 352 Palestinians killed since start of truce

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday expressed concerns about Israel’s commitment to peace in Gaza, saying that Muslim countries that had supported the peace treaty may need to “reassess their stance” in light of continued violations of the fragile ceasefire in the region.

Despite the declaration of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on Oct 9, Israel has continued to bombard the territory while a long-term plan for peace is being discussed.

The defence minister posted on the social media platform X that the ceasefire agreement had been criticised for being one-sided, and that Israeli forces “continue to violate the truce, killing Palestinians including children”.

“The agreement, signed in Sharm el-Sheikh, was meant to bring stability to the region, but Israel’s actions have raised concerns about its commitment to the deal,” Mr Asif wrote.

Turkish president

“Muslim countries that supported the treaty, including Turkiye, Egypt, and Qatar, may need to reassess their stance given the ongoing violence,” he added.

“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already expressed concerns, stating that the ceasefire agreement shouldn’t be mistaken for a final settlement to the Palestinian issue.”

Mr Asif further pointed out that, since the ceasefire took effect on Oct 10, at least 352 Palestinians had been killed, while over 70,000 people have lost their lives in Gaza since the start of the conflict.

Amnesty warning

He added that Amnesty International had warned that “Israel’s genocide is not over, and the international community, especially Western governments, must continue to pressure Israel to abide by international law”.

A cornerstone of the United States-brokered Gaza Peace Agreement is the establishment of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), composed mainly of troops from Muslim-majority countries. However, countries that had previously supported the plan have since expressed reservations.

On Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had said that Pakistan was willing to commit troops to the Gaza peace force, but “not ready” to participate in the disarming of Hamas.

“We are not ready for that. This is not our job, but of the Palestinian law enforcement agencies. Our job is peacekeeping, not peace enforcement,” he remarked.

“We are definitely ready to contribute to the force — the prime minister has in principle already announced after consultation with the field marshal that we will contribute — but this decision cannot be taken until it is decided what its [ISF] mandate and TORs (terms of reference) will be,” he added.

“As per my information, if it will include disarming Hamas, then even my Indonesian counterpart has informally expressed his reservation.”

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2025