Arab League, EU, and 17 Nations Call on Hamas to Disarm and Relinquish Control of Gaza

For the first time, a coalition of Arab and Muslim countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, have jointly called on Hamas terrorists to give up its weapons and step down from governing Gaza, as part of a wider international effort to bring the war to an end.

This landmark appeal was part of a declaration backed by the 22-member Arab League, all members of the European Union, and 17 additional countries, following a United Nations conference co-hosted Tuesday by Saudi Arabia and France in New York.

The conference focused on promoting “the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and the implementation of the Two-State Solution,” and the resulting statement outlined the steps these nations believe must follow.

“Governance, law enforcement and security across all Palestinian territory must lie solely with the Palestinian Authority, with appropriate international support,” the declaration stated. “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.”

The declaration also condemned the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre in Israel and called for the potential deployment of “a temporary international stabilization mission” under UN leadership, if invited by the Palestinian Authority.

“We welcomed the readiness expressed by some Member States to contribute in troops,” the document added.

Israel has maintained that the Palestinian Authority is not equipped to govern Gaza.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, whose country announced earlier this week that it would unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state,called the move “unprecedented,” highlighting that it marked the first time Arab and Muslim nations not only condemned terrorism but also the specific acts of Hamas on October 7, while signaling openness to future normalization with Israel.

“On the part of Saudi Arabia and the Arab and Muslim countries who for the first time will condemn terrorism, the acts of terror on the 7th of October, a call for the disarmament of Hamas and expressed their hope to have a normalized relationship with Israel in due time,” Barrot told the UN assembly.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum praised the declaration, saying: “We welcome this important progress and the Arab League’s recognition that Hamas must end its rule in Gaza. Kidnapping innocent men, women, and children is a blatant violation of international law and must be unequivocally condemned.”

Throughout the conflict, key ceasefire mediators Qatar and Egypt have maintained relations with both Hamas and Israel.

Earlier this year, a draft proposal obtained by CNN revealed that Egypt’s post-war plan for Gaza excludes Hamas from any future governance role. That plan, discussed at an Arab League emergency summit in Cairo, envisioned a transitional committee to administer Gaza temporarily, eventually transferring authority to the Palestinian Authority.

Saudi Arabia, for its part, has consistently emphasized the need to revive the two-state solution as the path to lasting peace.