Palestinian, Egyptian presidents urge immediate end to Israeli Gaza offensive

Baghdad: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday 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.
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 United States, 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 organizations. It marks the second such event hosted by Iraq since the 2003 U.S. invasion, following a previous one in 2012.
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