The latest Israeli strikes on Gaza, killing at least 31 Palestinians, including children, have again torn through the thin fabric of what was sold to the world as a ceasefire. The attacks come as Israel is expected to reopen the Rafah border crossing, a reminder that even humanitarian chokepoints in Gaza exist at the mercy of political and military calculations. For ordinary Palestinians, this grim sequencing is cruelly familiar, hinting at a promise of normalisation one day, followed by the sound of airstrikes.
The October 2025 truce was meant to halt more than two years of bloodshed. Yet, repeated violations and the absence of visible consequences have turned it into a ceasefire on paper, punctuated by deadly force on the ground. Palestinians have reportedly been killed almost daily since the agreement took effect.
Pakistan, alongside Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and the UAE, has been among a core group of Muslim-majority states backing the Gaza ceasefire and its political roadmap. These same countries have now issued a joint condemnation of Israel’s repeated violations, warning they pose a “direct threat to the political process” and could derail efforts to stabilise the enclave. Even Egypt, a central mediator and custodian of Gaza’s key border access, has urged utmost restraint as violence flares again. But restraint cannot be a one-sided request addressed only to those already trapped behind siege lines.
It took unprecedented diplomacy, and an unlikely Trump-admin mediated peace plan to end the Gaza war after more than 67,00 Palestinians were killed, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
The eight-nation bloc that backed the plan sees its diplomatic gains crumbling under Israeli warplanes. Their statement stressed that all parties must uphold the truce to advance a just and lasting solution rooted in Palestinian statehood and international law.
Hamas, for its part, never hid its scepticism, flatly rejecting calls to disarm. How do you convince a battered population to lay down arms when they still hear the roar of jets overhead?
As for Pakistan, the Palestinian cause has always been a core principle. Islamabad has no relations with Israel and has long championed Palestinian rights on every global stage. The public mood at home, reflected in repeated protests and rallies, is a reminder that Pakistanis are not asking for new slogans.They are asking for practical steps.
What can the rest of the world do now, as the ceasefire lies in tatters? One immediate step is pushing for accountability. There is also the option of revisiting trade or arms relationships: Muslim nations like the UAE or Turkey that engaged with Israel may reconsider those ties unless the ceasefire is respected.
Ultimately, this is about far more than geopolitics or diplomatic credibility. It is about Palestinian families who dare to hope that their children might sleep in peace for the first time in years. Pakistan has repeatedly stressed at the UN that the success of any peace plan in Gaza is a collective responsibility. Fulfilling that responsibility means moving beyond condemnations to tangible measures.
