Saudi Arabia hosts Gulf ministerial meeting to discuss Gaza conflict

By Ibrahim Al-Khazen

CAIRO (AA) – A ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) kicked off in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Sunday.

The meeting is attended by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and Morocco, the Saudi state-run Al-Ekhbariya news channel reported.

The GCC ministerial meeting is expected to discuss Israel’s ongoing Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack.

The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed more than 30,400 and injured about 71,700 others with mass destruction and shortages of necessities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.

GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohammed Al-Budaiwi denounced Israeli infringements of international humanitarian law in Gaza, particularly its consistent and direct targeting of civilians.

He called for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

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 Ikram Kouachi