From left: Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide during the opening of the Doha Forum 2025 yesterday. (AFP)
Doha, Qatar: A high-level ministerial panel at the Doha Forum convened under the theme “The Gaza Reckoning: Reassessing Global Responsibilities and Pathways to Peace”, brought together foreign ministers and senior officials from Spain, Norway, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
The session, moderated by CEO & President, International Crisis Group Dr. Comfort Ero, delivered a unified warning that the fragile ceasefire in Gaza cannot endure without rapid international actions to stabilise the situation, deliver humanitarian aid, and advance political arrangements anchored in a two-state solution.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation, Kingdom of Spain H E José Manuel Albares voiced concern over continued violations of the ceasefire, emphasising that the humanitarian crisis is worsening each week. “We have a glimpse of hope at this moment,” he said, “but we must move very quickly to phase two, and that starts with consolidating the ceasefire. It is unacceptable that we have a ceasefire continuously violated, with dozens of innocent Palestinians still being killed every week. This has to stop.”
Albares called for massive humanitarian assistance to enter Gaza and stressed the central role of UN agencies in distributing aid impartially and independently. Ensuring regular access to food and basic needs for Gaza’s civilians, he added, must become an international priority.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration, and Egyptian Expatriates of Egypt H E Dr. Badr Abdelatty urged immediate steps to strengthen the ceasefire and accelerate the move toward the second phase of the 20-point peace plan. He stressed the need to “flood Gaza with humanitarian and medical aid” ahead of winter, noting the severe destruction and lack of shelter after months of conflict.
He called for deploying the stabilization force “as soon as possible” to monitor ceasefire compliance, describing it as a peacekeeping, not peace-enforcing, mission. He emphasised that the Palestinian technocratic committee must oversee daily services, law enforcement, health care, and basic needs until the PA fully returns to Gaza. “Gaza and the West Bank are an integral part of the independent Palestinian state,” he stated, reiterating that displacement of Palestinians is unacceptable and that border crossings, including Rafah, should function solely for humanitarian access, not as a channel for forced movement.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Norway H E Espen Barth Eide echoed the urgency of sequencing and implementing the transitional institutions outlined in the peace plan. He cautioned that the fragile current situation cannot hold for long. “We can either move forward or backward—we cannot stay many more weeks like this,” he said. Ensuring clarity on what steps occur first, he added, is essential to prevent parties from delaying actions by citing the lack of progress from others.
Minister Plenipotentiary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia H E Dr. Manal Radwan began by thanking Qatar for hosting what she described as a vital forum that reflects Qatar’s ongoing commitment to regional and global stability. Dr. Radwan clarified that the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution emerged from extensive diplomatic engagements, with Spain playing an early leadership role.
