ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN—Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday declared that the response by the Palestinian group Hamas to US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan “creates a window for a ceasefire and ensuring peace that we must not allow to close again.”
The statement follows a late Friday night development where President Trump reportedly instructed Israel to immediately cease bombing Gaza after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept specific terms within the US-led initiative to conclude the war. However, contentious issues, notably surrounding disarmament, appeared to remain unresolved. Subsequently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office indicated that Israel was preparing for the “immediate implementation” of the first stage of the plan concerning the release of Israeli hostages.
Pakistan’s Diplomatic Stance
Pakistan joined global partners in welcoming Hamas’s affirmative response. Prime Minister Sharif took to X (formerly Twitter) to express cautious optimism. “Alhamdolillah, we are closer to a ceasefire than we have been since this genocide was launched on the Palestinian people,” he posted, reaffirming, “Pakistan has always stood by the Palestinian people and shall always do so.”
The Prime Minister specifically offered gratitude to US President Trump, alongside the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, Jordan, Egypt, and Indonesia for their concerted efforts during recent meetings on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). He stressed that Pakistan would continue to “work with all its partners and brotherly nations to [ensure] everlasting peace in Palestine.”
Call for Immediate Halt to Hostilities
In a separate, equally firm statement, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar described Hamas’s response as a “welcome step,” but insisted on immediate, tangible results.
“This must now result in an immediate ceasefire, end to Palestinian suffering, ensure hostages release, and allow free flow of humanitarian aid. Israel MUST immediately stop its attacks,” Dar stated. He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s non-negotiable diplomatic position: “We reaffirm Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and a sovereign, viable State of Palestine on the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.”
The Foreign Office (FO) echoed this sentiment, stating that the development “offers an important opportunity to secure an immediate ceasefire, end the bloodshed of innocent Palestinians in Gaza, release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, ensure unhindered humanitarian assistance, and pave the way for a credible political process toward lasting peace.” The FO called for an immediate cessation of Israeli attacks and offered its hope that the US-led efforts would result in a durable ceasefire and a “just, comprehensive and lasting peace.”
