Kuala lumpur: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has called for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the besieged population of the Strip. In a joint statement following their meeting in the Malaysian capital, the ASEAN foreign ministers expressed their countries' grave concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and condemned the Israeli aggression against civilians and infrastructure, resulting in a large number of casualties, especially children and women.

According to Qatar News Agency, the ASEAN also condemned the continued restrictions on the access of humanitarian aid, relief supplies, and other basic needs to the Strip, which have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis facing the Palestinians. The ASEAN countries commended the efforts of ASEAN countries in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza and called on all its members and external partners to continue supporting the besieged Palestinians.

They also affirmed their support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), highlighting the importance of the full resumption of rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access to all those in need in Gaza. The ministers called for the protection of civilians and adherence to international humanitarian law and international human rights law, reaffirming their unwavering support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination in their homeland, and emphasizing the need to take the necessary measures to end the illegal Israeli occupation of the occupied Palestinian territories as soon as possible.

The ASEAN is a political and economic bloc established in 1967 and comprises ten countries including Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Brunei, Laos, and Cambodia.