Gulf ministerial meeting calls for immediate cease-fire in Gaza

By Ibrahim Al-Khazen

RIYADH (AA) – A Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ministerial meeting on Sunday called for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

The foreign ministers of the 6-nation bloc along with Egypt, Jordan and Morocco met in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Sunday.

A statement issued following the meeting condemned the Israeli “aggression” on Gaza and reiterated support for the Palestinian people.

It called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities and Israeli military operations, and ensuring the provision and delivery of all humanitarian and relief assistance.”

The GCC meeting also demanded “urgent steps to immediately allow safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid and create the necessary conditions for a sustainable cease-fire.”

The GCC comprises Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

At least 30,410 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed and 71,700 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza, leaving its population, particularly residents in the north, on the verge of starvation.

At least 116 people were killed on Thursday when Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid south of Gaza City, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli war, now in its 149th day, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala