The foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt released a joint statement expressing strong opposition to Israeli actions in Gaza. The statement focused particularly on the targeting of medical infrastructure, hospitals, ambulances, and healthcare workers, which the officials characterized as constituting serious violations of international humanitarian law. The group emphasized that the protection of medical facilities and personnel, along with the unrestricted delivery of medical aid throughout Gaza, represented legal obligations that could not be suspended under any circumstances.
The statement referenced violations of an agreement signed in October, with Hamas welcoming the international criticism and calling on signatory nations, mediators, and the U.S. administration to take immediate action. The Palestinian faction argued that their representatives had engaged constructively with the agreed roadmap while Israeli actions were undermining its implementation. Hamas specifically accused Israel of sabotaging the agreement and called for pressure to ensure Israeli compliance with its obligations.
The timing of the statement coincided with continued deterioration of Gaza’s healthcare system. According to local authorities, only approximately half of the territory’s 36 hospitals remained partially operational. An Israeli airstrike earlier in the month struck a pharmaceuticals storage facility at a major hospital, and health officials reported critical shortages of cancer and blood-disorder medications affecting patient survival rates. The foreign ministers linked recent Israeli military operations to broader patterns of settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and developments in occupied Jerusalem, describing these actions as components of a coordinated policy.
According to the Government Media Office in Gaza, Israeli forces had recorded over 4,000 ceasefire violations during the preceding 300 days, resulting in more than 1,250 Palestinian deaths and thousands of injuries. The office also reported significant constraints on humanitarian aid delivery and restrictions on population movement. Meanwhile, UNICEF documented that at least 300 children had been killed during the same 300-day period since the ceasefire took effect.
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