Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi presented a comprehensive 10-point plan aimed at addressing the Gaza crisis at the Riyadh summit. The plan spans immediate and medium-term actions.
The ongoing Gaza crisis prompted Saudi Arabia to host a joint emergency summit of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Riyadh. The primary agenda was the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza.
The 10-point plan includes an immediate ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli troops, unconditional aid access, enforcing a trade embargo on Israel, designating the Israeli army as a terrorist force, referring Israel’s war crimes to ICC, establishing a fund for Gaza reconstruction, sending humanitarian convoys to Gaza, naming bombing of Gaza hospitals as Genocide Day and warning on armament of Palestinians.
President Raisi expressed Iran’s support for a single Palestinian state based on one vote for each adult citizen. He labelled Israel as illegitimate and praised Hamas, categorising the Palestinian resistance as a liberation movement. Raisi also warned that failure to take decisive action at the summit might lead to increased public despair and impatience, potentially prompting independent actions by the people.
However, there was a lack of consensus on post-war plans for Gaza’s security at the Riyadh summit. The summit exhibited the divisions within the Arab world concerning the Palestinian crisis.
For instance, calls for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid in Gaza face implementation challenges.
The director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza reported that the medical complex has become a bomb-prone zone, with any moving person being targeted by Israeli forces. The situation was confirmed by Doctors Without Borders.
Several individuals were reportedly shot at while attempting to exit the besieged hospital.
The Palestinian death toll has increased up to 11,078 whereas Israel’s death toll remains unchanged.
Addressing the UN Security Council, the Palestine Red Crescent Chief noted that Gaza hospitals are being deliberately targeted as a tactic aimed at forcing civilians to leave. Al-Quds Hospital faced imminent danger, with reports of Israeli tanks positioned just 20 metres away, causing panic among the displaced.
Speaking to reporters in Beirut on Friday, Hamas representative Osama Hamdan pointed out three key priorities that bring about change amid the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
First, Hamdan called for an immediate halt to Israeli “genocide against Palestinians.” He urged countries to sever diplomatic relations with Israel, maintaining that it is essential to send a strong message against the violence inflicted upon Palestinian civilians.
Second, the Hamas representative stressed the urgent need for humanitarian, medical aid, and fuel to be sent to Gaza. Third, Hamdan made a plea for leaders to speak with one voice on the Palestinian cause.
Hamdan criticised the peace process of the last three decades, stating that it was built on Israel’s needs, which he identified as a fundamental cause of its failure. He argued that a new approach, one grounded in the rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people, is essential for any lasting and meaningful resolution to the conflict.