The surprise declaration, endorsed on Tuesday by the 22 member nations of the Arab League, also condemned Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, which set off the devastating war in Gaza. The statement came at a United Nations conference in New York on a two-state solution to end the decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

Arab and Muslim states including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have for the first time issued a joint call for Hamas to disarm and relinquish power in the Gaza Strip as part of efforts to end the war in the territory.

A number of Arab nations called on Hamas to relinquish its arms and rule over the Gaza Strip on Tuesday in an unprecedented move at the United Nations (UN). The 22-member Arab League — which includes Egypt,

Hamas leaders could be forced to leave Gaza after Middle Eastern states united behind a new plan to end the 22-month-long war.

The Arab world has called on Hamas to disband and surrender control of Gaza, in a dramatic shift that could pave the way for peace in the region.