Leaders of the countries that are part of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League today called for an “immediate” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in response to Israeli attacks, during an extraordinary summit in Saudi Arabia .
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman opened the forum by urging a cessation of hostilities to stop the “humanitarian catastrophe” in the Gaza Strip, governed by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
“This is a humanitarian catastrophe that has demonstrated the inability of the international community and the UN Security Council to put an end to Israel’s serious violations of international humanitarian law and demonstrates the double standard that the world applies,” he noted, quoted by the Qatari network Al Jazeera.
The country’s leader, who before this upsurge in violence was moving forward with normalizing diplomatic relations with Israel, called for the release of all those held and imprisoned by Hamas and the “immediate cessation” of military operations in Gaza, as well as “efforts “concerted agreements” to end the siege of the enclave and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The president of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, also spoke at the summit, calling for “international protection” for the Palestinian people in the face of attacks by the Israeli Armed Forces and settlers in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Abbas placed special emphasis on the United States, which he asked to put an end to “Israeli aggression, the occupation and the desecration of our sacred places,” reported the Europa Press news agency.
“We need and want international protection for our unarmed civilians,” he appealed.
For his part, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al Sisi stressed that the ceasefire must be “without conditions” and denounced the “collective punishment” against the Palestinian population, which “cannot be justified as self-defense.”
Meanwhile, the emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, accused the world of allowing Israel to act as if it were above the laws of international law: “How can you attack hospitals and the world remain silent?”
Thus, he requested the sending of a UN investigation team to clarify what is happening in the Gaza Strip, including the hospitals.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for an investigation into Israel’s nuclear arsenal, a country he considers to be the “darling” of the West.
“We must investigate and not ignore the nuclear weapons that Israel denies having. There must be an investigation by the UN Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court,” he said during his speech at the summit.
King Abdulla II of Jordan recalled the “injustice” suffered by the Palestinian people “for seven decades” and demanded humanitarian corridors for the entry of food.
Along similar lines, the commissioner general of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, asked in Riyadh for an agreement to demand that the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza be authorized and called on Arab and Muslim leaders to launch “more powerful actions.”
Specifically, he called for opening more border crossings apart from Rafah, the only one that links the Gaza Strip with Egypt, and more funding for the UN agency’s operations.
Israel promised to destroy Hamas after that group launched an incursion from Gaza on October 7, in which 1,200 people died, according to the latest balance sheet that updated the figure to 1,400, and captured some 240 hostages, including twenty with Argentina Nationality.
Israel’s attacks in turn left more than 11,000 dead, including some 4,500 children, according to the movement that governs the Gaza Strip.
Source: Ambito
