Hamas chief urges Arab-Islamic committee to urgently convene to stop Israeli war against Gaza

By Anadolu staff

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - The head of the Hamas group's political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, urged the Arab-Islamic Committee on Saturday to urgently convene "to discuss ways to halt the war and to break the siege on the Gaza Strip."

The Arab-Islamic ministerial committee was formed by the Joint Arab-Islamic Summit held in Saudi Arabia on Nov. 11 to follow up on the implementation of the summit's outcomes to end the Israeli bloody onslaught on Gaza.

Haniyeh stressed "the need to quickly act to oblige Israel to abide by the international resolutions that called for ending the (Israeli) aggression on the Palestinian people and to protect the hospitals (in Gaza)."

A statement noted that the Hamas chief held talks with leaders and officials on the regional and international levels in light of the Israeli "brutal massacres" against Palestinians displaced in UN-run schools.

Israeli air raids killed at least 50 Palestinians at the Al-Fakhoura School earlier Saturday. The school is run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.

Israel has killed more than 12,300 Palestinians in its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 surprise offensive by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas. The official Israeli death toll, meanwhile, stands at about 1,200.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s relentless strikes on the besieged enclave.

An Israeli blockade has also cut Gaza off from fuel, electricity, and water supplies, and reduced aid deliveries to a trickle.

Israel has rejected growing calls for a cease-fire until all hostages held by Hamas are released.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar