The Arab ministerial committee on Gaza said yesterday that it holds Israel fully responsible for the genocidal crimes against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.
“We hold the Israeli occupation fully responsible for the ongoing genocide and the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe taking place in the Gaza Strip,” read a statement issued by ministers of the Joint Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit on developments in Gaza.
The committee called upon the international community – particularly the permanent members of the Security Council – to take urgent action to stop Israel’s illegal aggressive policies.
It urged for the ‘immediate and comprehensive cessation of the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, and an end to the ongoing violations committed by the occupying forces against civilians and civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem’.
The committee also demanded unconditional access to Gaza.
“The demand that Israel, as the occupying power, immediately and unconditionally allow the entry of humanitarian assistance at scale into the Gaza Strip – including food, medicine, and fuel – and ensure the freedom of operation of relief agencies and international humanitarian organisations, in accordance with international humanitarian law and its applicable principles,” it said.
Ministers also emphasised “the need to work on the immediate start of the implementation of the Arab-Islamic plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, and called for active participation in the Gaza Reconstruction Conference to be held in Cairo soon.”
The committee includes ministers from Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Nigeria, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation, in addition to Bangladesh, Chad, Djibouti, Gambia, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Oman, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, the UAE and Yemen.
After a security cabinet meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed a plan to take over Gaza City had been approved.
Israel’s military offensive since October 7 attack has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians.
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