Israeli-Hamas War: Arab foreign ministers to meet Wednesday on Gaza

Arab League foreign ministers will meet Wednesday to discuss “Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip” following a surprise assault by Hamas on Israel, the regional bloc announced.

The “extraordinary meeting” in Eygpt’s capital, Cairo will seek to find “avenues of political action at the Arab and international level”, as Israel keeps pounding targets in Gaza following Saturday’s attack, Arab League deputy chief Hossam Zaki said in a statement.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday requested an emergency ministerial-level meeting of the Arab League over the latest Israeli escalation.

In a statement, the ministry said it had directed “its permanent delegation to the Arab League to request an emergency meeting of the League Council at the ministerial level.”

The development was reached over “the escalation of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people,” it said.

Moroccan Foreign Ministry on Sunday also called for an emergency Arab League meeting at the level of Arab foreign ministers for “consultation and coordination on the deterioration of the situation in the Gaza Strip and the outbreak of military actions targeting civilians.”

Intensive consultations are underway for the meeting to be held this week at the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo, the ministry said in a written statement.

Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on Saturday and said the surprise attack was in response to the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence. It said it fired rockets and captured many Israelis.

At least 350 Israelis were killed and over 1,860 injured in the attack, while several soldiers and civilians were captured by Hamas and taken back to Gaza.

Israel retaliated with a series of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, which left at least 313 Palestinians dead and nearly 2,000 injured, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.