Leaders of six Gulf countries and Turkey are meeting in Qatar, with Israel’s war on Gaza at the top of the agenda.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has accused the international community of “turning its back” on the Palestinian people amid Israeli bombardments on Gaza, while calling for a permanent ceasefire in the enclave besieged.
In his opening speech to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit on Tuesday in Doha, the emir accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza, stressing that the “crimes” of Israeli forces contribute to ” deepen the feeling of injustice and absence. of international legitimacy.
“It is a shame for the international community to allow this heinous crime to continue for more than two months – while the systematic and deliberate massacres of innocent civilians, including women and children, continue,” he said. he declares.
“Why is the international community turning its back on Palestinian children and adopting double standards?
Truce
A week-long truce between Israel and Hamas, which collapsed on Friday, was negotiated by Qatar and other mediators to allow the release of prisoners captured by Hamas in October, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, often without charge.
Sheikh Tamim said that while his country was still working to renew a truce, it was not an “alternative to a permanent ceasefire.”
“We will continue to make efforts with other regional and global actors to establish a permanent ceasefire and end all aggression against the Palestinian people,” he said.
Leaders of six Gulf countries – including Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait – and Turkey are attending the Doha summit.
The war on Gaza is expected to take center stage during the negotiations.
James Bays, Tel Aviv Tribune’s diplomatic editor, reporting from Doha, said the discussions will likely focus on the prospect of Qatar-brokered negotiations leading to a possible resumption of a truce in Gaza.
The prospect of reconstruction and the future governance of post-war Gaza will also be another topic of discussion, Bays added.
“National struggle”
Speaking at the summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said “Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza should not go unanswered.”
He added that Turkey’s priority is to “ensure that a permanent ceasefire is implemented in Gaza and that humanitarian aid is delivered without any interruption.”
The Emir of Qatar added that the struggle in Palestine was not a religious struggle nor a war against terrorism.
“This is a national struggle between the Israeli occupation and the Palestinian people shaken by this occupation,” he said.
“The solution lies in ending the occupation and resolving the cause of the Palestinian people,” he added, urging the United Nations Security Council, particularly the permanent members, to assume their “responsibilities “to help and end the war and force Israel to return to the negotiating table to achieve a “just solution”.
To date, at least 15,899 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7. In Israel, the official death toll stands at around 1,100.
