Gaza dominates Arab League Summit as leaders push for ceasefire and pledge to work on reconstruction

Arab leaders gathered successful Baghdad connected Saturday for nan yearly Arab League Summit, wherever they announced they were moving connected a ceasefire betwixt Israel and Hamas successful nan Gaza Strip and vowed to lend to nan enclave's reconstruction.

The acme successful nan Iraqi superior was attended by Arab leaders including Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez besides attended arsenic a guest, arsenic did UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

The Spanish premier minister, who successful a reside to nan Spanis parliament connected Wednesday called Israel a "genocidal state", urged nan world organization to use unit connected Israel "to halt nan massacre successful Gaza."

Guterres called for nan merchandise of Israeli hostages successful Gaza and nan travel of assistance into nan territory, which has been nether a full blockade by Israel for much than 2 months. He besides said nan UN rejects immoderate "forced displacement" of Palestinians.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani called for allowing assistance to travel backmost into Gaza, which has been nether a full blockade by Israel since early March. "This genocide has reached levels of ugliness not seen successful each conflicts passim history," he said, adding that Iraq will activity connected mounting up an Arab money for nan region's reconstructionom which his state will salary $20 cardinal for Gaza and a astir akin magnitude for Lebanon.

Egypt's el-Sissi said that his state was coordinating pinch Qatar and nan US successful "exerting aggravated efforts to scope a ceasefire", and that Egypt plans to clasp an world convention for nan Gaza's reconstruction "once nan aggression stops".

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is leader of nan Palestinian National Authority (PNA) successful nan West Bank and holds nary authority complete Hamas successful Gaza, urged nan militant group to manus complete its weapons to nan PNA.

A notable absentee was caller Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who sent his overseas curate instead. Iraqi Shiite militias and governmental factions wary of al-Sharaa’s past arsenic a Sunni militant pushed backmost against his invitation to nan summit.

Al-Sharaa did nevertheless meet US President Donald Trump earlier successful nan week, who promised to region US-imposed sanctions connected Syria.

'Operation Gideon's Chariots'

The time earlier nan acme took place, Israel announced nan launching of a caller announced a caller shape successful its Gaza violative called "Gideon's Chariots", nether which nan IDF said it was "conducting extended strikes and mobilising troops to execute operational power successful nan areas of Gaza."

The UN Secretary-General responded to nan news by saying he was "alarmed by reported plans by Israel to grow crushed operations and more."

Separate to Israel's announcement of an expanded offensive, Euronews revealed nan beingness of documents dated December 2023 which revealed that creating a caller entity successful Gaza "the time after" a conclusion of Hamas is 1 of nan proposals nan Israeli authorities has connected nan table.

The gathering successful Baghdad was nan 34th Arab League Summit, wherever Arab leaders stitchery to reside location matters. The League was formed successful 1945 and presently comprises of 22 members.