Press briefing on Extraordinary GCC Ministerial Council on Gaza
The Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries called this evening for an immediate ceasefire and cessation of Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.
In a press conference following an Extraordinary GCC Ministerial Council in Muscat, the Council also demanded an end to the unlawful Israeli blockade and the provision of access to humanitarian aid, relief and basic needs.
The Ministers said this should include the restoration of electricity and water supplies, as well as allowing the entry of fuel, food, and medicine for the residents of Gaza.
The Council announced immediate support of 100 million dollars for humanitarian and relief aid.
The press conference was given by Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, Foreign Minister of Oman, and Jasem Mohammed AlBudaiwi, the Secretary-General of the GCC.
During the press conference Sayyid Badr said there was an ongoing effort to implement the clauses of the Ministerial Council's statement and to stop Israeli criminal actions while continuing dialogue with all international and regional parties.
The Minister said that the GCC countries are acting wisely and rationally, taking incremental steps in their political and diplomatic efforts.
Sayyid Badr added that the GCC countries are focused on halting military action and delivering aid to the Palestinian people.
The GCC Secretary-General announced the final statement of the meeting, which addressed the evolving situation in the occupied Palestinian territories with escalating acts of violence and unlawful, indiscriminate shelling of residential neighbourhoods in the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in the death and injury of thousands of innocent civilians. The statement also discussed Israel's intentions to invade the sector and displace the civilian population.
The GCC emphasised the need for immediate action to protect the lives and well-being of civilians, reiterating its call for a cessation of violence and the implementation of an urgent humanitarian relief operation.
The GCC Secretary General said the Ministerial Council statement reaffirms its support for the Palestinian people in maintaining their land and warns against any attempts to displace them. It calls on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians, refrain from targeting them, and comply with international law and international humanitarian law without exception.
The Council also called for the release of innocent hostages and detainees, including women, children, the sick, and the elderly. It also called for providing international protection to the Palestinian people.
The GCC Secretary General said the Council confirmed its intention to activate an urgent humanitarian relief operation to assist the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. It announced that immediate support for humanitarian and relief aid would be provided, amounting to one hundred million dollars.
He added that the final statement of the Ministerial Council stressed the necessity of ensuring the delivery of aid to Gaza urgently. The statement also expressed its support for the peace initiative by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the European Union, and the Arab League to revive the Middle East peace process in cooperation with the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
This is an unofficial English version of an Arabic report. To view the official Arabic text, click here.