Palestinian, Egyptian Presidents urge immediate end to Israeli offensive in Gaza

Baghdad, May 18 (IANS) Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi have urged an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Speaking at the 34th Arab League Summit held in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Saturday, Abbas called on the summit to adopt an Arab plan to halt Israeli military operations and achieve peace in the region, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel has killed hundreds of Palestinians since Thursday in one of the deadliest waves of bombardment since a truce collapsed in March, even as US President Donald Trump concluded a Middle East tour on Friday.

Abbas underscored that an enduring peace can only be achieved through ending the Israeli occupation and ensuring the full rights of the Palestinian people.

Sisi, for his part, condemned the "systematic atrocities and unspeakable violence" inflicted on the Palestinians in Gaza over the past 19 months, saying these acts aim to "obliterate" the population.

He called on the international community, especially the US, to take vigorous steps to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The Egyptian President also reiterated Egypt's commitment to convening an international conference for Gaza's early recovery and reconstruction once hostilities cease.

Following up on the summit, the Hamas-run media office in Gaza on Saturday called on the attendees to take practical action and adopt bold positions to break the "unjust blockade imposed on Gaza and stop the daily killing".

It urged mounting pressure on Israel to ensure the immediate and unconditional opening of the crossings and ensure the flow of food, humanitarian aid, and medical assistance to the people of Gaza, who are now facing the threat of starvation.

Also condemning Israeli hostilities in the region, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, when addressing the summit, called for action from the international community to end Israeli assaults within Lebanon, which violate the understandings reached between the two sides in late November last year.

"We call upon you, dear brothers, to pressure the international community to compel Israel to end its aggressions and fully withdraw from all Lebanese territories," Salam said.

The summit has witnessed the participation of leaders and top diplomats of 22 Arab League member states, as well as representatives from regional and International organisations.

It marks the second such event hosted by Iraq since the 2003 US invasion, following a previous one in 2012.

After a six-week ceasefire, Israel imposed a total blockade of Gaza and resumed its military campaign in March. It blames Hamas militants for harm to civilians for operating among them, which Hamas denies.

Israel's declared goal is the elimination of the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas, which attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages.

The military campaign has devastated the tiny, crowded enclave, pushing nearly all its 2.3 million inhabitants from their homes and killing more than 53,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities.

Israel faces growing international pressure to resume ceasefire talks and allow food and medical supplies into Gaza.

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher asked the Security Council this week if it would act to "prevent genocide".

Iraq's Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, announced the creation of a fund to help reconstruct Arab states after war, with an initial pledge of $20 million each for Gaza and Lebanon, where swathes of the south were destroyed last year in an Israeli campaign against the Hezbollah group.

--IANS

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