KUWAIT CITY: A summit of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders urged an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Sunday, following calls for a truce by host Kuwait after nearly 14 months of war in the Palestinian territory.
In the final statement of the summit, the six-member body called for an “immediate and permanent cessation of Israeli fire and military operations” as well as “the delivery of all humanitarian and relief aid and basic needs to the residents of Gaza”.
The meeting comes at a time of acute and ongoing uncertainty for the Middle East following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and a subsequent war on Gaza.
Earlier, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah called on the international community to implement “an immediate ceasefire, providing international protection for innocent civilians and ensuring the opening of safe corridors and the arrival of urgent humanitarian aid”.
The summit was also attended by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said.
In his address, Sheikh Meshal hit out at what he characterised as the “double standards in the application of relevant international laws, charters and resolutions” which he said had undermined “the region’s security and stability”.
He said Kuwait was “optimistic” about a ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon that he said would contribute “to reducing escalation in the region”.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and other countries also welcomed last week’s a truce after a year of conflict that killed thousands in Lebanon and caused mass displacement on both sides of the border.
Fighting escalated in September after nearly a year of cross-border strikes, initiated by Iran-backed Hezbollah in support of Hamas.
The Kuwaiti ruler spoke in support of Saudi Arabia’s work to form a global body pushing for an independent Palestinian state and lauded “positive and constructive” work by Iran and the GCC.
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