UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed an accord brokered by China seeking reconciliation between Hamas and other Palestinian factions to form a national unity government in Gaza, AFP reports.

“I think all steps towards unity are to be welcomed and encouraged,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, adding that Guterres “very much welcomes the signing of the Beijing Declaration by the Palestinian factions.”

Speaking at the UN, spokesperson Dujarric said unity amongst the Palestinian factions was crucial.

“Palestinian unity … is crucial for peace and security and for advancing the aspirations of the Palestinian people for self-determination and for fully independent, democratic, contiguous, viable and sovereign Palestinian state,” he said.

Editorial

Updated 02 Aug, 2026

Urban flooding

THE warning from the disaster management and weather authorities that a new monsoon spell could trigger urban...
02 Aug, 2026

Fatal workplaces

THE methane explosion near Quetta that killed 34 coal miners is the latest entry in Pakistan’s long register of...
02 Aug, 2026

Dual standards

IT appears that the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party has fallen foul of the Election Commission of Pakistan. A...
Updated 01 Aug, 2026

Maritime alliance

AS the US-Iran war drags on, new battle lines are being drawn. The pro-US Gulf Arab monarchies and Iran have enjoyed...
01 Aug, 2026

Local governance

INTERIOR Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s speech at a business summit on Thursday has stirred a hornet’s nest. His...
01 Aug, 2026

Murders in Balochistan

GOOD news is scarce in Balochistan. Seven labourers were abducted and gunned down in Turbat city recently. Four...