ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday welcomed the response of Palestinian group Hamas to US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, saying it “creates a window for a ceasefire and peace that we must not allow to close again.”
On Friday night, Trump urged Israel to stop bombing Gaza after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept parts of the US proposal, though issues like disarmament remain unsettled. Following this, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel was preparing for the “immediate implementation” of the first stage of Trump’s plan.
In a post on X, Shehbaz Sharif said that Alhamdolillah, we are closer to a ceasefire than we have been since this genocide began against the Palestinian people. Pakistan has always stood by Palestine and will always continue to do so.
The PM also thanked President Trump and the leaderships of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Turkiye, Jordan, Egypt, and Indonesia for their efforts during meetings on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also welcomed Hamas’s response, calling it a “positive step” that must now lead to an immediate ceasefire, end to Palestinian suffering, release of hostages, and uninterrupted humanitarian aid.
Later, Dar spoke to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, where both sides reaffirmed their support for the Palestinian cause and agreed to work together with Arab, Islamic, and international partners for a lasting peace based on the two-state solution.
The Foreign Office (FO) also issued a statement, calling Hamas’s move an important opportunity to stop the bloodshed and begin a credible political process toward lasting peace. It praised Trump’s efforts and reaffirmed Pakistan’s principled and unwavering support for the Palestinian people and their right to a sovereign state on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital.