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ISLAMABAD:&nbsp;Israel&#39;s military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir dismissed several senior officers over their failure to prevent the October 2023 attacks by Hamas. Following an investigation, Zamir said late Sunday he had fired and also reprimanded several senior commanders over the military&#39;s failure &quot;to protect the civilians of the State of Israel.&quot; Israel&#39;s military chief on Nov. 10 called for a &quot;systemic investigation&quot; into the failures that led to Hamas&#39;s Oct. 7, 2023, attack, as the government dragged its feet on establishing a state commission of inquiry on the matter. &#39;A&nbsp;significant step&#39;Zamir made the call following the publication of a report by an expert committee he himself had appointed, which, according to him, marks the conclusion of the military&#39;s internal investigations into the Oct. 7 attacks. &quot;The expert committee&#39;s report presented today is a significant step toward achieving the comprehensive understanding that we, as a society and as an organization, require.&quot; Zamir was quoted as saying in the report. &ldquo;To ensure that such failures never recur, a broader understanding is needed &mdash; one that encompasses the inter-organizational and inter-hierarchical interfaces that have not yet been examined.&quot;

FILE: Israel's military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir speaks during a funeral in Kfar Saba on November 11, 2025 (AFP)

Middle East

Dismisses and reprimands senior officers over failures linked to Hamas’s October 2023 attack, urging broader investigation; Zamir made the call following the publication of a report by an expert committee he himself had appointed

Israeli military chief says army failed to protect Oct 7 attack

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council will vote Monday on a resolution endorsing US President Donald Trump&#39;s Gaza peace plan, diplomats said.&nbsp; Last week, the Americans officially launched negotiations within the 15-member Security Council on a text that would follow up on a ceasefire in the two-year war between Israel and Hamas and endorse Trump&#39;s plan. A draft of the resolution seen Thursday by AFP &quot;welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace,&quot; a transitional governing body for Gaza -- that Trump would theoretically chair -- with a mandate running until the end of 2027. It would authorize member states to form a &quot;temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF)&quot; that would work with Israel and Egypt and newly trained Palestinian police to help secure border areas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip. Unlike previous drafts, the latest mentions a possible future Palestinian state. The United States and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, called Friday for the UN Security Council to quickly adopt the resolution. &quot;The United States, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and T&uuml;rkiye express our joint support for the Security Council Resolution currently under consideration,&quot; the countries said in a joint statement, adding they were seeking the measure&#39;s &quot;swift adoption.&quot; Friday&#39;s joint statement comes as Russia circulated a competing draft resolution to Council members that does not authorize the creation of a board of peace or the immediate deployment of an international force in Gaza, according to the text seen Friday by AFP. The Russian version welcomes &quot;the initiative that led to the ceasefire&quot; but does not name Trump. It also only calls on the UN secretary-general to submit a report that addresses the possibilities of deploying an international stabilization force in war-ravaged Gaza. The United States has called the ceasefire &quot;fragile,&quot; and warned Friday of the risks of not adopting its draft. &quot;Any refusal to back this resolution is a vote either for the continued reign of Hamas terrorists or for the return to war with Israel, condemning the region and its people to perpetual conflict,&quot; the US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, wrote in The Washington Post. &quot;Every departure from this path, be it by those who wish to play political games or to relitigate the past, will come with a real human cost.&quot; While it seemed until now that Council members supported principles of the peace plan, diplomatic sources noted there were questions about the US text, particularly regarding the absence of a monitoring mechanism by the Council, the role of the&nbsp; Palestinian Authority, and details of the ISF&#39;s mandate. The Russian UN mission said in a statement that its alternative proposal differed by recognizing the principle of a &quot;two-State solution for the Israeli-Palestinian settlement.&quot; &quot;Unfortunately, these provisions were not given due regard in the US draft,&quot; it said.

Draft of the resolution "welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace," AFP reports

UN Security Council to vote Monday on Trump Gaza plan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday &ldquo;strongly condemned&rdquo; the latest Israeli attacks in Gaza, terming them a &ldquo;flagrant violation&rdquo; of the Gaza Peace Agreement, and called upon the international community to take immediate and effective measures to halt the aggression. In an official statement, the Foreign Office expressed deep concern over the renewed Israeli airstrikes that have claimed numerous civilian lives in Gaza. &ldquo;Pakistan strongly condemns Israel&rsquo;s violation of the Gaza Peace Agreement and the continued targeting of civilians,&rdquo; the statement said. &ldquo;These actions constitute a serious breach of the understanding reached in Sharm El-Sheikh under the witness of the international community.&rdquo; According to Gaza&rsquo;s Government Media Office, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed and over 230 wounded since the start of the ceasefire. The office accused Israeli forces of breaching the truce more than 80 times through &ldquo;direct gunfire, bombardments, and arrests of civilians.&rdquo; The Israeli military, however, claimed its airstrikes were in response to &ldquo;a blatant violation&rdquo; of the truce following the killing of two Israeli soldiers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset that &ldquo;153 tons of bombs were dropped on Hamas positions last week,&rdquo; insisting the strikes were &ldquo;necessary defensive actions.&rdquo; Hamas denied any breach, slamming Israel for &ldquo;fabricating pretexts&rdquo; to resume hostilities. The exchange of accusations has heightened concerns over the fragile ceasefire, which had allowed thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza to find their homes destroyed. Islamabad and Expatriates of Palestine also denounced what it described as &ldquo;terrorist assaults&rdquo; by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians and international solidarity activists during the olive harvest season in the occupied West Bank. The Pakistan Foreign Office echoed this concern, stating: &ldquo;Such actions run contrary to the spirit of the peace agreement signed in Sharm El-Sheikh in the presence of leadership from the Muslim and Arab world, the United States, Europe, and the United Nations.&rdquo; Islamabad urged the global community to intervene decisively to ensure full implementation of the ceasefire and to prevent further loss of civilian life. &ldquo;Pakistan calls for urgent and effective international measures to end these violations and restore peace,&rdquo; the statement read. &ldquo;Pakistan reaffirms its unwavering support for the Palestinian people and calls for the establishment of an independent, sovereign, viable, and contiguous State of Palestine, based on pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.&rdquo; In related developments, Qatar&rsquo;s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Tuesday condemned Israel for repeatedly violating the ceasefire in Gaza, calling its recent strikes a &ldquo;flagrant breach&rdquo; of international law and warning that the fragile truce could collapse if such actions continue. Delivering his annual address to the Shura Council, Sheikh Tamim said the humanitarian situation in Gaza had deteriorated despite the US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on October 10. He urged the global community to &ldquo;hold Israel accountable for its actions.&rdquo; &ldquo;We reiterate our condemnation of all Israeli violations and practices in Palestine, particularly the transformation of the Gaza Strip into an area unfit for human life and the continued violation of the ceasefire,&rdquo; the emir said. Qatar, which has served as a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, has been facilitating talks in Doha to prevent renewed hostilities and secure humanitarian access to Gaza. The emir also denounced Israel&rsquo;s &ldquo;genocidal war,&rdquo; its expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, and what he described as attempts to &ldquo;Judaize the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound&rdquo; in East Jerusalem. Referring to an alleged Israeli strike on a Hamas delegation in Doha, Sheikh Tamim said: &ldquo;Israel has violated all international laws and norms governing relations between states by attacking a country that acts as a mediator and by attempting to kill delegation members. We consider this aggression an act of state terrorism.&rdquo;

Islamabad slams Israeli Gaza attacks, urges global action, reaffirms support for Palestine, and calls for an independent state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as capital

Pakistan condemns Israeli attacks in Gaza, urges urgent global action

ISLAMABAD: Nearly 100 Palestinians have been killed and more than 230 others injured since a US-brokered ceasefire took effect on October 10, according to Gaza&rsquo;s Government Media Office, as both sides trade accusations of violating the fragile truce. In a statement, the office said Israel has violated the ceasefire 80 times, citing &ldquo;direct gunfire at civilians, deliberate bombardment, the execution of fire belts, and arrests of civilian citizens.&rdquo; The statement called the actions &ldquo;grave and repeated breaches&rdquo; of international humanitarian law. On Monday, Gaza&rsquo;s civil defense agency reported that four people were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza City. &ldquo;They were returning to check on their homes in the Al-Shaaf area, east of the Al-Tuffah neighborhood,&rdquo; said Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the rescue service, which operates under Hamas authority. He said the victims were killed in two separate incidents &ldquo;by Israeli gunfire.&rdquo; The Israeli military said it fired at armed militants who crossed the so-called &ldquo;Yellow Line,&rdquo; the boundary where Israeli troops remain positioned under the ceasefire. The army said the individuals &ldquo;approached troops in the Shujaiya neighborhood,&rdquo; adjacent to Al-Tuffah. Several similar confrontations have occurred since the truce began, resulting in repeated casualties and heightening concerns over its durability. On Sunday, Israel carried out a series of airstrikes across Gaza after &ldquo;two of its soldiers were killed in combat.&rdquo; The military called the operation a response to &ldquo;a blatant violation&rdquo; of the truce. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told parliament that Israel dropped 153 tons of bombs on Hamas positions. &ldquo;One of our hands holds a weapon, the other hand is stretched out for peace,&rdquo; Netanyahu said. Hamas denied responsibility for any attacks, accusing Israel of fabricating &ldquo;pretexts&rdquo; to resume fighting. The fragile ceasefire has allowed hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza, where many have found their homes reduced to rubble. With additional inputs from AFP

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel dropped 153 tons of bombs on Hamas targets, as Gaza authorities report more than 100 Palestinians have been killed and more than 230 injured since the US-brokered truce began

Israeli military actions in Gaza kill over 100 since US-brokered ceasefire began

Reuters

WASHINGTON: Planning has begun for an international force to go into Gaza to stabilize security in the Palestinian enclave, two senior US advisors said Wednesday. One of the top requirements of President Donald Trump&rsquo;s 20-point Gaza plan was the formation of a US-backed stabilization force. The United States has agreed to provide up to 200 troops to support the force without deploying them in Gaza itself. The two senior advisors, in a briefing for reporters, said tensions remain high between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in the enclave. &ldquo;Right now, what we&rsquo;re looking to accomplish is just a basic stabilization of the situation. The international stabilization force is starting to be constructed,&rdquo; one adviser said. Among the countries the US is speaking to about contributing to the force are Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, and Azerbaijan, the advisor said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The advisors said there were up to two dozen US troops in the region to help set up the operation, serving in a &ldquo;coordination, oversight&rdquo; role. &ldquo;The goal is to use all the different local partners who want to help and be involved,&rdquo; the advisor said. After Hamas killed seven men in Gaza City it accused of collaborating with Israel, the advisors said there were discussions to establish safe zones for civilians to prevent such incidents. The second advisor said no Gazans would be forced to leave the battered Palestinian enclave. Officials are looking at rebuilding in areas that are free of Hamas militants. Trump has said he would like to see the enclave rebuilt and has pledges of investment from various international partners, but that this effort will take time. The advisors also said patience was needed for the recovery of dead Israeli hostages, saying it would take longer than expected because their remains are buried under rubble and unexploded ordnance. They said there are discussions about offering rewards for information leading to the discovery of remains.

An Israeli tank manoeuvres in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, September 28, 2025. 

Planning has begun for an international force to go into Gaza to stabilize security in the Palestinian enclave, two senior US advisors said.

Planning under way for international force in Gaza, say US advisors

GENEVA: Palestinian Authority representatives are touring Europe to try to convince countries that have not yet recognized a Palestinian state to get on board, a presidential envoy said during a visit to Switzerland on Wednesday.&nbsp;Former Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, currently serving as special envoy for President Mahmud Abbas, told reporters that he had met with Switzerland&#39;s top diplomat to push Bern to join &quot;the countries who recognize Palestine&quot;.&nbsp;He said he would be travelling on to the Netherlands and Austria with the same message.&nbsp;&quot;Another delegation will be going to the Baltic states, and our president hopefully will visit Italy and Germany,&quot; he told the briefing, organized by the UN correspondents&rsquo; association ACANU.&nbsp;A majority of European nations now recognize a Palestinian state, following official declarations last month by Britain, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal and others against the backdrop of the war in Gaza.&nbsp;A number of non-European states, like Australia and Canada have also recently joined their ranks, in moves slammed by Israel.&nbsp;&quot;There are 34 countries that did not yet recognize Palestine,&quot; Shtayyeh said.&nbsp;&quot;We are simply in contact with these countries, trying to urge them to be part of the countries who recognize Palestine, not part of the countries who did not recognize Palestine.&quot;&nbsp;In Switzerland, he said he had met with Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis.&nbsp;&quot;My message to the Swiss leadership is very simple: This is the country that &lsquo;hosts&rsquo; UN agencies, and this is the depository for Geneva Conventions,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;I did urge the Swiss leadership to walk the walk and recognize Palestine as a state similar to the countries that have done so.&quot;&nbsp;While there are forces in Switzerland pushing for recognition, such a move could take time.&nbsp;A coalition of civil society, NGOs and politicians began this week gathering signatures to push through a popular vote on the issue, under Switzerland&#39;s famous direct democratic system.&nbsp;If they manage to gather 100,000 signatures over the next 18 months, the Swiss will be called to vote on whether they want recognition of &quot;Palestine as a sovereign and independent state&quot; to be enshrined in the Swiss constitution.

Palestinian envoy Mohammad Shtayyeh is urging European nations, including Switzerland, to recognize Palestine’s statehood amid growing global support for Palestinian independence.

Palestinians touring Europe to boost state recognition

ISLAMABAD: FIFA President Gianni Infantino has pledged to rebuild all football facilities in Gaza following last weekend&rsquo;s ceasefire, saying the sport must &ldquo;bring hope&rdquo; to the war-torn territory on Monday.&nbsp;Speaking at the Summit for Peace in Egypt, co-chaired by US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Infantino said that football&rsquo;s role is to support, to unite and give hope in the region.&nbsp;He added that FIFA will help rebuild all football facilities in Palestine, provide equipment, construct new pitches, bring in instructors, and assist in organizing local competitions.&nbsp;FIFA will launch a dedicated fund to rebuild football infrastructure in Palestine, adding that the organization had already contributed through its FIFA Arena programme and the construction of mini-pitches.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;We will help to bring football back together with the Palestinian Football Association in every corner of the country&rdquo;, he added.&nbsp;Infantino stated that FIFA has contributed with mini-pitches, with the FIFA Arena programme, adding: &ldquo;We want the whole world to contribute, because football brings hope to children, it&rsquo;s very, very important.&rdquo;&nbsp;FIFA has faced repeated calls to act over the war in Gaza, with Palestinian officials pressing for Israel to be suspended from international football.&nbsp;The issue has been under review by FIFA for months, but no decision has been taken. Infantino has consistently said such matters require consensus with the confederations and must be handled with caution.

Football

Gianni Infantino pledged to help restore football infrastructure in Gaza, establish a reconstruction fund, and revive local tournaments, emphasizing that the sport should serve as a source of hope for the Palestinian people in the aftermath of the ceasefire and the peace summit held in Egypt.

FIFA vows to bring football back to Palestine after peace summit

BEITUNIA: Under a ceasefire deal many hope will finally turn the page on a two-year war, Israel has been preparing to exchange nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners for the 48 hostages &mdash; some alive, some dead &mdash; still held in the Gaza Strip. The releases have a powerful resonance on both sides. For Israelis, they&#39;re deeply painful, since some of those being released have been convicted over attacks that killed civilians and soldiers. For Palestinians, the issue of prisoners is among the most politically charged, with nearly every Palestinian having a friend or family member who has been jailed by Israel, particularly young men. While Israel views them as terrorists, many Palestinians consider the prisoners as freedom fighters resisting a decades-long Israeli military occupation. In previous exchanges, both sides have sought to tightly manage the releases &mdash; including the images, clothing and ceremonies &mdash; because of their political sensitivity. The 2,000 include some 1,700 of the several thousand Palestinians that Israeli troops seized from Gaza during the 2-year war and have held without charge. Those slated for release also include 250 Palestinians sentenced to prison terms, most of them convicted of murder and terrorism in deadly attacks on Israelis dating back decades, as well as others convicted on lesser charges, according to Israel&#39;s Justice Ministry. The longest serving among them has been imprisoned for nearly 40 years. How the Palestinians&#39; release is to play outIsrael&#39;s Prison Service said it has been preparing the prisoners held at two prisons &mdash; Ofer, near Jerusalem, and Ketziot, in the southern Negev desert. Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said Sunday the release would take place after the living hostages are freed. Those seized from Gaza during the war will be returned there. Some of the 250 convicted Palestinians will return home to East Jerusalem or the West Bank or Gaza, while a majority will be sent to Gaza or into exile abroad. Palestinians on Monday morning gathered at viewpoints on the hills overlooking Ofer Prison, from which some of the detainees and prisoners are expected to be freed. Eagerly awaiting their friends and relatives, they drank coffee and said they hoped the agreement could pave a path toward peace. An armored Israeli vehicle drove up the hill from the prison fired tear gas and rubber bullets at one side of the hill. As drones buzzed overhead, the crowd scattered. The tear gas followed the circulation of a flier warning that anyone supporting what it called &ldquo;terrorist organizations&rdquo; risked arrest. &ldquo;You have been warned,&rdquo; read the flier, which AP obtained on site. Israel has warned people in the West Bank against celebrating, as has frequently happened in past releases, a Palestinian Authority official and the family of a prisoner told AP. In neighborhoods where prisoners&rsquo; families live, Israeli forces distributed fliers warning that &ldquo;anyone who participates in such activities exposes himself to punishment and arrest,&rdquo; the official said. The Associated Press reviewed a copy of the flier. Israel&rsquo;s military did not respond to questions about the flier or restrictions. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press, and the family because they feared reprisals. Israel&rsquo;s military did not respond to questions about restrictions or warnings. Who is on the listThe rapid developments since last week&rsquo;s ceasefire agreement have left questions up to the last minute over who will be freed. Israel released a list of some 250 convicted prisoners it would free, but Hamas sought changes. Early Monday, Hamas published the names of just over 1,900 prisoners and detainees it said were slated for release, though Israel did not confirm the list. Israel has provided little information about the 1,700 from Gaza to be freed. Israeli forces detained thousands of Palestinians over the course of the war during raids on shelters and hospitals, and at checkpoints stopping families as they were fleeing their homes amid military operations. Hundreds have been released over the course of the war. Monday&#39;s release would still leave about 1,300 Palestinians from Gaza in Israeli custody, according to a count of detainees in September by the Israeli human rights group Hamoked. According to Hamas&#39;s list, the Gaza detainees to be freed include two women, six teenagers under 18, and around 30 men over 60. Most of the detainees have been held under new laws passed in Israel at the start of the war that allowed Palestinians to be detained for months as &ldquo;unlawful combatants&rdquo; without judicial review or access to lawyers. Rights groups, the UN, and detainees have reported routine abuse in the detention facilities, including beatings and insufficient food. Israel says it adheres to its prison standards under law and investigates any reports of violations. The list of 250 convicted prisoners to be freed, ranging in age from 19 to 64, includes 159 affiliated with Fatah, the political party that runs the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank, and 63 associated with Hamas. The remainder are unaffiliated or belong to other groups. Many were arrested in the early 2000s, which saw the eruption of the Second Intifada, a Palestinian uprising fueled by anger over continued occupation despite years of peace talks. The uprising turned bloody, with Palestinian armed groups carrying out attacks that killed hundreds of Israelis, and the Israeli military killing several thousand Palestinians. Some were convicted in military trials that rights advocates say often lack due process. Others have been incarcerated for months or years without trial in what is known as administrative detention. Israel says the practice, widely criticized by Palestinians and human rights groups, is needed to prevent attacks and avoid sharing sensitive intelligence. The list does not include the roughly half dozen highest-profile prisoners, including Marwan Barghouti, Hassan Salameh, Ahmed Saadat, and Abbas Al-Sayyed. Barghouti is widely seen as a potential successor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Israel&#39;s list includes:Raed SheikhA 51-year-old Palestinian police officer and Fatah member, Sheikh was sentenced to multiple life terms in 2000 for his role in the killing of two Israeli soldiers who were attacked by a mob at a West Bank police station, including one thrown from the station&#39;s window. Mahmoud IssaA 57-year-old Hamas commander imprisoned for life in 1993 &mdash; before the Oslo interim peace accords &mdash; Issa was among those convicted of kidnapping and killing a 29-year-old Israeli border police officer that year. Much of his more than three decades behind bars were spent in solitary confinement, conditions that have made him a symbol among prisoners&rsquo; rights advocates. Shamasneh brothersThe two brothers &mdash; 56-year-old Mohammed and 62-year-old Abdel Jawad Shamasneh &mdash; were in 1993 sentenced to multiple life terms for their role in a stabbing attack that killed Israeli hitchhikers whose bodies were later found in a Jerusalem riverbed in 1990 during the first Palestinian intifada. Iyad FataftaA 47-year-old Fatah member serving a life sentence, Fatafta was one of two men convicted of murder for stabbing American tourist Kristine Luken and a friend who was hiking with her and survived.

Israel will release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 48 Israeli hostages under a ceasefire deal, marking a tense, politically charged moment for both sides.

Who are the Palestinian hostages being freed in exchange for Israeli captives?

GAZA CITY: A top Hamas official told AFP Saturday that the release of 48 mostly Israeli hostages held by Palestinians in Gaza would begin on Monday morning. &quot;According to the signed agreement, the prisoner exchange is set to begin on Monday morning as agreed, and there are no new developments on this matter,&quot; Osama Hamdan said in an interview with AFP. Hamas on the ground have not yet notified the movement&#39;s leadership about the logistics of the hostages&#39; handover, Hamdan added. Following the return of the captives from Gaza, Israel will proceed with the release of about 2,000 Palestinian detainees from its prisons, according to the terms of the first stage of a ceasefire deal signed by the two parties under US mediation. Hamdan said that the list of Palestinian prisoners slated for release was still under negotiation. Hamas&#39;s &quot;prisoners office has said that, so far, the process has not been finalized. Israel is still refusing to release certain names. However, the negotiating delegation is making every effort to secure their release,&quot; the official said, adding that the final list would be ready on Saturday night or by Sunday morning &quot;at the latest.&quot; Hamdan further highlighted that under the agreement, five entry points for humanitarian aid are expected to be opened, and said that the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt will reopen &quot;for individuals in both directions starting next Wednesday.&quot; Italy said that the Rafah crossing would reopen on Tuesday under the supervision of an EU monitoring mission, with a police presence from Italy, Spain, and France.

The hostage-prisoner exchange will begin Monday, involving 48 hostages and about 2,000 Palestinian detainees. Negotiations continue over final names; Rafah crossing set to reopen next week.

Hamas official says hostages release to begin Monday morning

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s foreign minister and his Egyptian counterpart exchanged views on the ongoing situation in the Middle East, especially the developments in Gaza. A telephonic conversation was held between the two leaders, according to a statement released by Pakistan&rsquo;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday. Developments in GazaPakistan&rsquo;s Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar spoke with the Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr Badr Abdelatty, it said.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1976911958873194844&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=344a9fbe5eaf2d6414c517f6e95858521841675c&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 793px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1976911958873194844"></iframe></div></div>According to the statement, the two leaders exchanged views on the ongoing situation in the Middle East, particularly the developments in Gaza and Palestine. They also discussed regional diplomatic efforts and coordination ahead of the forthcoming Summit scheduled to take place in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday, it said. Humanitarian crisis in Gaza&nbsp;Moreover, the Pakistani foreign minister also spoke with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov on Saturday, said another statement released by the ministry.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1976928275449471195&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=344a9fbe5eaf2d6414c517f6e95858521841675c&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 798px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1976928275449471195"></iframe></div></div>They discussed the situation in the Middle East and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The two ministers also exchanged views on the broader efforts by Arab-Islamic countries to promote peace and stability in the region, as well as on the forthcoming summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the statement added. According to AFP, US President Donald Trump has said he expects to head to the Middle East on Sunday, with stops in Egypt, where the talks took place, and Israel. New Gaza police force&nbsp;With Egypt&#39;s support, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa has scheduled a reconstruction conference to take place a month after the ceasefire, Reuters reported on Thursday. Updated World Bank estimates put reconstruction costs for Gaza at $80 billion, up from $53 billion last October, he said. That&#39;s four times the combined GDP of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2022, according to the multilateral lender. Arab states including Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar backed the Saudi-French plan, which called for a transitional administrative committee to be formed &quot;under the umbrella of the&quot; PA, and foresaw the deployment of an international stabilization mission at the PA&#39;s invitation. The Trump plan foresees a temporary international stabilization mission deploying to train and support vetted Palestinian police forces, saying it would &quot;consult with Jordan and Egypt&quot;, Reuters reported. Mustafa said the PA had already nominated some 5,500 Palestinians to be part of a new Gaza police force being trained by Egypt. The goal is to train at least 10,000 people.

Foreign Affairs

Views exchanged on the ongoing situation in the Middle East, particularly the developments in Gaza and Palestine; regional diplomatic efforts discussed ahead of the forthcoming Summit scheduled to take place in Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday. 

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