Saudi Arabia to host extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic Summit on Gaza conflict

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

ANKARA (AA) - Saudi Arabia said Saturday it will host an extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic summit to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip.

The oil-rich kingdom was scheduled to host two summits of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

“Due to the exceptional circumstances in Gaza, the Kingdom has decided to convene an extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh on Saturday,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “This replaces the previously planned emergency Arab Summit and extraordinary Islamic Summit scheduled for the same date.”

The ministry said the decision to hold the Arab-Islamic summit “emphasizes the importance of unifying efforts and presenting a unified stance expressing the joint Arab-Islamic will regarding the serious and unprecedented developments in Gaza and the Palestinian territories."

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip -- including hospitals, residences, and houses of worship -- since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, on Oct. 7.

At least 11,078 Palestinians have been killed, including 4,506 children and 3,027 women. The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is nearly 1,400, according to official figures.​​​​​​​