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ISTANBUL: Turkiye will on Monday host a meeting of foreign ministers from Muslim countries to discuss a US peace plan for Gaza, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said.

Fidan told reporters on Friday that the Istanbul meeting would “evaluate our progress and discuss what we can achieve together in the next stage.”

A ministry spokesman said ministers from Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, ����ֱ�� and the United Arab Emirates had all been invited.

The foreign ministers of all these countries met US President Donald Trump on September 23 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“A glimmer of hope emerged, offering a glimmer of hope for everyone,” Fidan said during a joint news conference with his Estonian counterpart Margus Tsahkna.

There were a number of issues that needed to be addressed at the meeting, he said.

“What are the obstacles to its implementation? What are the challenges to be faced? What are the next steps? What will we be discussing with our Western friends? And what support is there for the ongoing talks with the United States?“

Fidan accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “looking for a pretext to violate the ceasefire [in Gaza] and relaunch the genocide under the eyes of the whole world.”

Turkiye sent an 81-strong distaster response team to Gaza a week ago to help with search and rescue operations.

But it is still waiting at the border for Israeli approval to enter the Palestinian territory, said Fidan.

The foreign ministry was still “working intensively” and its army was discussing the possibility of joining the international force to oversee the ceasefire, said Fidan.

But Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Monday it would not be reasonable for them to let Turkiye participate because of their “hostile approach” to Israel.

“So it is not reasonable for us to let their armed forces enter [the] Gaza Strip, and we will not agree to that, and we said it to our American friends,” said Saar.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) gained more than 4,500 points on Friday, with analysts attributing the jump to an extended ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The rally reflected renewed investor confidence after weeks of uncertainty over cross-border tensions, which had weighed on investor sentiment and triggered a market downturn of over 5,000 points earlier this month.

The benchmark KSE-100 index gained 4,898.86 points, or 3.13 percent to close at 161,631.73 points, compared to the previous close of 156,732.87.

The development came a day after Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed in Istanbul to extend a ceasefire, following the worst border clashes between the two countries in years that killed dozens. Islamabad says Kabul shelters anti-Pakistan militants, an allegation the Afghan authorities deny.

Topline Securities, a Karachi-based market research firm, said the trading value and volume for the day stood at 941 million shares and Rs41.84 billion ($148.85 million).

“This positivity in market was on account of news that Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime have agreed to maintain ceasefire following a fresh round of talks in Istanbul which was confirmed by Turkiye’s foreign ministry,” it said in its daily market review.

Topline added that United Bank Limited (UBL), Meezan Bank Limited (MEBL), Fauji Fertilizer Company Limited (FFC), Habib Bank Limited (HBL), Bank Al Habib Limited (BAHL), Systems Limited (SYS), Lucky Cement Limited (LUCK) and Bank Alfalah Limited (BAFL), contributed over 2,390 points to the index collectively.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to extend the ceasefire reached in Doha on Oct. 19 until the next round of talks, scheduled for Nov. 6 in Istanbul.

They also decided to establish a monitoring and verification mechanism to maintain peace and hold either side accountable for any violations. The negotiations are being mediated by Türkiye and Qatar.

Ahsan Mehanti, chief executive officer at Arif Habib Commodities, earlier said speculation in the earnings seasons acted as a catalyst in the bullish sentiment after the ceasefire.

“Bullish activity witnessed after reports of Pakistan, Afghanistan agreeing to maintain ceasefire in the cross-border conflict,” he told Arab News.

Pakistan has warned that the ceasefire is conditional, saying it will treat Afghanistan’s failure to act against militant hideouts as a breach of the extended truce.