Saudi Arabia Hosts Joint Arab-Islamic Summit to ‘Unify Efforts’ on Ending War in Gaza
Reuters
A Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit will be held in Riyadh today, Saturday, November 11, 2023, instead of the “Arab Non-ordinary Summit” and “Extraordinary Islamic Summit,” which were scheduled on the same date, said the Saudi foreign ministry in a statement late Friday.
According to the statement, the decision came with the purpose of unifying efforts to come up with a collective Arab and Islamic position to address the unprecedented developments in Gaza and the Palestinian territories.
It has been over a month since the Gaza-Israel war erupted, leaving thousands of deaths and injuries in the Gaza Strip. Gaza’s health ministry said 11,000 people have been killed since the war began on October 7, and 27,000 have been injured. Israeli authorities say about 1200 Israelis have been killed.
Over the past week, the Israeli army intensified its ground invasion into northern Gaza City, forcing civilians to flee to the south of Gaza as Israel said the south would be safer.
The Arab Islamic summit in Riyadh today will discuss Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and seek a resolution aimed at an immediate cessation of military operations, providing civilian protection, releasing hostages and prisoners, and ending the forced displacement of the Palestinians.
The United Nations has demanded an end to the “carnage” in Gaza, saying “razing entire neighborhoods to the ground is not an answer for the egregious crimes committed by Hamas.”
The Israeli massacres committed in Gaza have sparked tensions in the entire region, and observers say what is happening in Gaza can lead to a broader war with potentially devastating and unpredictable consequences.
