A comprehensive plan for long-term peace between Israel and the Palestinians is being hurriedly completed by the Biden administration and a select group of Middle East allies. This plan includes a firm timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state, which could be announced as soon as the next few weeks. According to The Washington Post The US, Qatar, and Egypt are negotiating a stop to hostilities and the release of Hamas hostages in Gaza, which is directly related to the urgency of the effort. A first cease-fire, anticipated to last at least six weeks, would give time to publicise the idea, enlist more support, and initiate preparatory measures for its execution.
World Health Organisation has warned that an Israeli military assault on Rafah in southern Gaza would result in a “unfathomable catastrophe” and bring the enclave’s health system closer to collapse. According to Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative for Gaza and the West Bank, “military activities in this area, this densely populated area, would be, of course, an unfathomable catastrophe… and would even further expand the humanitarian disaster beyond imagination.” According to Peeperkorn, “it will also increase the burden on an already severely overburdened health system that is on its knees and increase the trauma burden, pushing the health system closer to the brink of collapse.” Just 40% of WHO visits to northern Gaza, he claimed, had been approved since November.
Pakistan is firmly dedicated, according to the Foreign Office, to promoting an inclusive democratic process, preserving the rule of law, and defending the fundamental freedoms and human rights that are enshrined in the country’s constitution and laws. In response to the UN’s concerns regarding the general elections, the spokesman for the Foreign Office, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, stated on Wednesday that Pakistan had concluded its security arrangements in accordance with its electoral rules. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights voiced alarm about violent incidents the day before the general elections, which are scheduled for tomorrow, February 8. “We deplore all acts of violence against political parties and candidates, and urge authorities to uphold the fundamental freedoms necessary for an inclusive and meaningful democratic process,” Liz, spokesman, stated.
Hamas has responded to a proposal delivered last week by mediators from Qatar and Egypt, who are supported by the US and Israel, with a ceasefire plan that will silence the guns in Gaza for four and a half months until the war ends. Three 45-day-long phases are envisioned in the Hamas counterproposal, according to a draft paper obtained by Reuters. Under the idea, Palestinian women and children would be released from Israeli prisons in exchange for Hamas releasing Israeli women, men under the age of 19, the elderly, and the sick. In the second phase, the remaining male hostages will be freed, and by the third phase, Hamas anticipates a deal on a cease-fire.
Diplomatic efforts to achieve a truce accelerated as Israel readied itself to push its war on Gaza closer to the Egyptian border, having claimed to have decimated Hamas in Khan Younis. According to Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, Israel achieved a significant victory over Hamas in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. assault last week, allowing its soldiers to progress to Rafah on the southern boundary of the enclave. This area is home to almost half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, who are primarily staying in improvised tents and public buildings where they are often cold and hungry. In a statement, Gallant stated, “We are accomplishing our goals in Khan Younis, and we will also reach Rafah.”
The Foreign Office has said that India is complicit in acts of terrorism within Pakistan. Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said during her weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Thursday that the Indian External Affairs Ministry has not refuted the accuracy of our reliable information of New Delhi’s complicity in extraterritorial and extrajudicial killings in Pakistan. She stated that Pakistan has also given friendly nations and other pertinent nations—especially those with whom we need to continue working to hold the perpetrators of the terror acts accountable—evidence proving India’s involvement in the acts of terror. The spokesman India claims that Pakistan’s accusations of terrorism are baseless and neither new nor trustworthy.
Since October 7, Israeli bombardment on Gaza have resulted in at least 27,019 Palestinian deaths and 66,139 injuries, according to a report released on Thursday by the health ministry in Gaza. The government also stated that 190 Palestinians were injured and 118 Palestinians died in the last 24 hours. The Israeli military declared on Thursday that it had killed dozens of fighters in fighting that raged throughout the Gaza Strip during the course of the previous day. Israel has been concentrating its operation against Hamas in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. According to the military, Israeli forces conducted close-quarters fighting and controlled airstrikes there. Additionally, it mentioned combat in Gaza’s north and centre. There have been over 30 victims found that were shot at point blank range by Israeli forces while wearing handcuffs and blindfolds.
Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani was visited by Special Envoy of the European Union on Freedom of Religion and Beliefs, Frans Van Daele, on Wednesday. They talked on the promotion of interfaith unity and the rising trends of religious intolerance throughout the meeting. The foreign minister, who is visiting on official business, was greeted by the EU envoy in Brussels. In order to promote peaceful coexistence, both parties underlined the need to lessen the prevalence of intolerance and to accept one another’s opinions.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the foreign minister of Iran, made a suggestion on Monday that “third countries” may be responsible for the increase in terrorism in the area straddling Pakistan and Iran. “There is no doubt that third countries lead and support the terrorists located in Iran and Pakistan’s common border regions and areas,” he stated, adding that the terrorists never support any positive actions that align with the interests and benefits of the governments and people of Pakistan and Iran. During his visit to Islamabad today, the Iranian Foreign Minister made his statement at a joint press conference with his Pakistani counterpart, acting Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani. The press was notified by the Pakistani FM of a deal between the two countries to work together to combat terrorism in their respective regions.
The president of UNRWA, the UN agency that helps Palestine refugees, has urged some countries to reconsider their decision to stop financing since it could jeopardise the organization’s life-saving efforts, particularly in Gaza. The suspension of money in response to accusations made against a small group of employees was alarming, according to a statement released by UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini. Sanctioning an organisation and the community as a whole due to accusations of criminal activity against certain individuals would be incredibly reckless, particularly during a period of political unrest , conflict, and displacement in the area. Lazzarini asked the nations that withdrew their financial support to reconsider their choices before UNRWA is compelled to cease its humanitarian efforts.
