Pakistan has expressed hope that the Gaza ceasefire will be the first step towards a comprehensive solution of the Palestine issue.

Speaking in the United Nations Security Council, Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN Ambassador Munir Akram, called on Israel to withdraw from Lebanese and Syrian territories, including Golan Heights, and allow UN peacekeepers to operate without obstruction.

He voiced deep concern over the increasing threats faced by peacekeepers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon and the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization.

In his remarks, the Pakistan envoy strongly condemned Israel’s ongoing aggression in Syrian territories and the illegal incursion of Israeli military forces in the separation areas established under the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.

Meanwhile, Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas has said that the Palestinian Authority is ready to assume full responsibility in post-war Gaza.

According to a statement, the responsibility include the return of the displaced, providing basic services, crossings management and reconstruction of the war-torn territory.