As the Israel-Hamas war nears its second month, several Arab foreign ministers from countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan are calling for the truce between Hamas and Israel in a move aimed at setting the stage to end the Middle East war.
The foreign ministers recently told a media briefing in London, U.K., that the potential truce agreement, called upon by Hamas terrorists, should lead to a continuation of talks for a two-state solution, meaning the peaceful existence of an Israeli and Palestinian state side by side. The agreement would involve a hostage deal.
Arab foreign ministers welcomed an agreement for a temporary truce between Israel and Gaza militant group Hamas on Wednesday but said it should be extended and become a first step toward a full cessation of hostilities https://t.co/y7m9muG5j2
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 22, 2023
On Nov. 22, 2023, Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day cessation of fighting to allow for the release of 50 hostages in Gaza and the release of 150 Palestinians currently behind bars in the Jewish State, per Reuters. The four-day pause in the war would also allow humanitarian aid to pour into Gaza.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud called for the humanitarian aid to be continued and expanded, adding that it should not take a hostage deal for such aid to be received.
“Whatever humanitarian access now increases as a result of this hostage deal must remain in place and must be built upon,” the Saudi foreign minister said.
“There must at no point be a reduction in this access based on progress for further release of hostages … Punishing the civilian population of Gaza for the holding of those hostages is absolutely not acceptable,” he added.
For weeks, countries worldwide, including the U.S., have called for a ceasefire in the ongoing Middle East war, but such calls have been denounced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who argued that if Israel withdraws its weapons, Hamas would be empowered.
“It’ll hamper our effort to get our hostages out because the only thing that works on these criminals, on Hamas, is the military pressure that we’re exerting,” Netanyahu said of a ceasefire.
