Arab League including Qatar condemns 7 October attacks and calls for Hamas to disarm

In a historic first, the Arab League has officially condemned Hamas for the 7 October massacres and called for the terror group’s full disarmament.

The unprecedented statement, signed by all 22 Arab League nations – including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria – was part of a sweeping diplomatic declaration co-authored with the EU and backed by 17 additional countries.

Unveiled at a joint conference in New York co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, the so-called “New York Declaration” also calls for a demilitarised Palestinian state unified under the Palestinian Authority and living in peace with Israel.

The seven-page document commits signatories to a two-state solution and denounces violence on both sides, stating: “We condemn all attacks by any parties against civilians, including all acts of terrorism and indiscriminate attacks.” It specifically singles out Hamas’s atrocities on 7 October, while also accusing Israel of “attacks against civilians in Gaza and civilian infrastructure.”

“War, occupation, terror, and forced displacement cannot deliver either peace or security. Only a political solution can,” the statement adds.

It further declares that Gaza “is an integral part of a Palestinian state and must be unified with the West Bank,” but insists the territory’s future administration must fall solely “under the umbrella of the Palestinian Authority” – explicitly excluding Hamas from any post-war role.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot hailed the agreement as “both historic and unprecedented,” adding: “For the first time, Arab countries and those in the Middle East condemn Hamas, condemn 7 October, call for the disarmament of Hamas, call for its exclusion from Palestine governance and clearly express their intention to normalise relations with Israel in the future.”

The resolution was met with scepticism in Jerusalem. Israeli UN envoy Danny Danon said: “There are those in the world who fight terrorists and extremist forces and then there are those who turn a blind eye to them or resort to appeasement.”

The full declaration will be presented for discussion at the UN General Assembly this September.