Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit on Gaza launched in Riyadh

An extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic Summit on Gaza situation chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, launched in progress in Riyadh, is in progress as at the time of filing this report on Saturday, with Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar is representing Pakistan at the summit.

This Extraordinary Summit has been convened at the request of Saudi Arabia in response to Israeli aggression against Palestinians.

Addressing the summit, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinian people have been facing the most heinous and ferocious Israeli aggression.

He said international protection is needed for unarmed Palestinian people.

Palestinian President said Israel has been violating international laws and breached all red lines.

Mahmoud Abbas reiterated that Gaza strip is part and parcel of the State of Palestine and diplomatic solution must be inclusive of all Palestinian territories including Gaza, Jerusalem and the West Bank.

In his opening remarks, Saudi  Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the Kingdom holds the Israeli occupation responsible for the crimes committed against the Palestinians,

He reiterated calls for an immediate end to the military aggression in Gaza and the release of hostages to save lives.

He stressed the Kingdom’s unequivocal rejection of the continued Israeli aggression in Gaza and the forced displacement of residents.

Muhammad Bin Salman pointed to the double standards in applying the international humanitarian law, condemned the international community’s silence towards the violations against the Palestinian civilians.

The Crown Prince called for a coordinated and collective effort among Arab and Islamic states to take effective action to lift the siege and deliver humanitarian and relief aid into Gaza.

Mohammad Bin Salman said a Palestinian state must be established on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Speaking at a summit, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called on Islamic governments to designate Israel’s military as terrorist organisations.

He also urged nations that have ties with Israel to sever them and called for greater support for Palestinians.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan while addressing the summit said that an international peace conference should be convened to find a permanent solution to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in his address has called for an immediate sustainable ceasefire in Gaza.

Addressing the summit in Riyadh, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit has denounced the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians committed by Israeli force.

He highlighted Israel’s longstanding goal of eradicating or displacing the population of Gaza since its initial attempts to occupy the territory.

Aboul Gheit criticized Israel’s consistent aggression against Gaza, leading to the deaths of over eleven thousand civilians.

In response to a Hamas attack on October 7, Israel launched retaliatory strikes and imposed a total blockade on Gaza Strip, home to over 2.5 million people, cutting off essential supplies and killing more than 11,000 civilians, including 4,506 children. The IDF is currently conducting a ground invasion of the Strip.

Russia views the Israeli strikes on civilian targets in the Gaza Strip as shocking violations of international law, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said.

“We are shocked and deeply outraged that the targets of the strikes are civilian objects,” Nebenzia said during a UN Security Council meeting on Friday. “We emphasize that the deliberate strikes against civilian objects represents an egregious violation of international humanitarian law.”

On October 7, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, breaching the border and killing and taking captives in nearby Israeli military sites and communities. The movement said its operation, Al-Aqsa Flood, was in response to Israeli provocations and occupation of Palestinian territories.

Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2 million people, cutting off supplies of water, food and fuel. On October 27, Israel launched a large-scale ground incursion into Gaza, ostensibly to eliminate Hamas fighters and rescue hostages.

The escalation of the conflict has resulted in the deaths of some 1,400 people in Israel and more than 11,000, including at least 4,506 children, in Gaza, and has raised the risk of a wider regional conflagration amid fears that Iran or the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah could enter the fray. The UN and other human rights groups warned of a possible genocide in Gaza. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a Gazan child is killed every 10 minutes. ANEWS/SPUTNIK