GOOBJOOG NEWS | RIYADH: The Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit held in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Saturday called for an immediate end to the military operations and siege of Gaza to allow the entry of humanitarian aid.

In its final communique, the summit also rejected Israel’s actions saying the actions amounts to “war crimes and barbaric and inhumane massacre by the occupation government”.

The leaders also demanded that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopts “a decisive and binding resolution” to halt Israel’s “aggression” in Gaza.

Originally, only the 22 members of the Arab League were expected to participate, but the meeting was later expanded to include the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a wider association of 57 mostly Muslim-majority states to which the Arab League countries belong.

In the opening remarks, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) called for an immediate cessation of military operations in Gaza and the release of all captives and prisoners.

“This is a humanitarian catastrophe that has proved the failure of the international community and the UN Security Council to put an end to Israel’s gross violations of international humanitarian laws, and prove the dual standards adopted by the world,” he said.

Somalia’s position

Federal Government of Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud who participate in the summit on his part called expressed Somalia’s position to support the freedom of the Palestinian people.

He added Somalia’s voice to the calls of the Islamic world concerning the cessation of the massacre and ethnic cleansing in Gaza.

“What is happening in Gaza is against human conscience and all international laws and norms; to stop it, we need a united decision. A sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital is the only solution to prevent security, political, and social unrest in the Region,” he stated.

Despite grappling with terrorism and challenging circumstances, the President emphasized that the Somali people would never abandon their principled stance in supporting their Palestinian brothers. He also commended the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting and organizing the meeting.