Arab leaders gather in Bahrain to discuss Gaza

2024-05-16 09:30:17, Kosova & Bota CNA

Arab leaders meet in Bahrain on May 16 for the summit, which is expected to be dominated by the war between Israel and Hamas - the Palestinian group designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union - as there are no signs that a ceasefire can be reached soon.

The leaders of the 22 members of the Arab League meet in Manama. This is the first time the bloc has met since the extraordinary summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, held last November. Members of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation also participated in that meeting.

At the November meeting, the leaders condemned the "barbaric" actions of Israeli forces in Gaza, but had not approved the imposition of punitive economic measures or taken any decision on political steps against Israel, despite growing anger in the region over the war in the Strip. Gaza.

That may change this time, as support for a two-state solution has grown around the world. Such a solution to the long-standing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has long been pushed forward by Arab states as well.

As the fighting continues, Qatar, which is brokering talks between Israel and Hamas, said talks on a ceasefire and hostage release have stalled.

The war broke out after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing nearly 1,200 people and kidnapping nearly 250 others.

The Israeli military offensive has killed more than 25,000 people, most of them civilians, according to the Ministry of Health in Hamas-led Gaza.

A day earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that almost 50,000 people had been evacuated from Rafah, in southern Gaza, as he insisted that his country would carry out an operation against Hamas battalions in the city, despite such an operation in Rafah - where many Palestinians have taken refuge - has been opposed by the president of the United States, Joe Biden./ REL