On August 16 (Tel Aviv time), foreign ministers of 8 countries including Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia issued a joint statement protesting Israel's rejection of the roadmap to complete the peace plan in Gaza, according to Xinhua news agency.
Foreign ministers said that Israel's refusal of this roadmap shows that Tel Aviv is hindering efforts to achieve peace in Gaza.
This refusal confirms that Israel is now responsible for hindering efforts to bring peace to Gaza" - the joint statement stated.
According to 8 countries, the proposed roadmap is an "important milestone" in the process of implementing the peace plan in Gaza.
The roadmap includes disarmament and elimination of weapons in Gaza simultaneously with the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area. The plan also mentions the deployment of the International Task Force, the transfer of administrative management of Gaza to the National Committee for the Management of Gaza and the reconstruction of this land.
Foreign ministers called on Israel to adhere to the peace plan and fulfill its commitments.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel rejects the US-backed peace roadmap and will not withdraw forces from Gaza until Hamas is completely disarmad.
Mr. Netanyahu's position was put forward in the context that the parties continued to discuss the next phase of the Gaza peace plan. Hamas previously announced that it accepted the proposed roadmap, and called on intermediaries and the Peace Council to put pressure on Israel to fulfill its obligations under the ceasefire agreement and move to phase 2 of the plan.
The talks in El Alamein, Egypt, were attended by Hamas leader Jared Kushner - US President Donald Trump's son-in-law - along with representatives of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. Senior representative of the Gaza Peace Council Nickolay Mladenov also attended.
According to quoted sources, one of the remaining disagreements is the fate of Hamas's weapons and related forces in Gaza. Hamas wants to maintain these weapons in the area, while the US requires them to be removed.
The Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement reached in October 2025 with the mediation of the US, Egypt and Qatar includes 3 phases. The first phase focuses on stopping fighting, handing over captured people, increasing humanitarian aid and withdrawing part of Israeli forces. The next phases aim to end the conflict, withdraw Israeli forces and rebuild Gaza.
