An extraordinary session of the Arab League has been called by Palestine, in coordination with Egypt and Jordan, in response to the International Court of Justice’s interim ruling on Israel’s war on Gaza. The extraordinary session, led by Ambassador Muhannad Al-Aklok and senior advisors, seeks to establish comprehensive measures preventing prohibited acts under the Genocide Convention. The focus is on the immediate provision of urgent humanitarian needs for the Gaza Strip and holding Israel accountable for incitement to genocide.
Meanwhile, CIA Director Bill Burns is set to meet with high-ranking officials from Qatar, Egypt, and Israel in France following reports of progress in negotiations to temporarily cease Israel’s attacks on Gaza. The talks aim to include a prisoner exchange in the proposed deal.
In parallel, the Arab League is convening to establish a “unified Arab stance” after the ICJ ruling. The Palestinian delegation is expected to strategise on a collective Arab response to address the verdict’s consequences.
As Israel intensifies attacks on Gaza, thousands are fleeing Khan Younis and seeking refuge in overcrowded Rafah. People sleep on the streets and in tent camps flooded with sewage. Gaza’s health ministry revealed a complete failure of the healthcare system in certain areas, with hospitals under constant threat from Israeli bombings.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reports that Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis is now unable to perform surgical operations due to oxygen depletion. PRCS has condemned the siege and targeting of Al-Amal Hospital and its branch headquarters in Khan Younis for the sixth consecutive day. In an official statement, PRCS revealed that Israeli occupation forces continue to bombard the hospital vicinity and open fire, posing a severe threat to the safety of medical staff, patients, wounded individuals, and approximately 7,000 displaced people seeking refuge from Israeli bombardment.
The ongoing targeting of Al-Amal Hospital and the PRCS’s headquarters for about four weeks has resulted in dozens of casualties both inside the facilities and the surrounding areas, as per the PRCS statement.
The Palestinian death toll from the incessant Isreali attacks continues to rise, with 26,422 reported killed and 65,087 wounded.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres denounced the involvement of UNRWA staff in the 7 October attack on Israel. However, he pleaded with donor nations to continue funding aid work, emphasising the desperate situation of two million people in Gaza. Jan Egeland, the Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, urged UNRWA’s donors not to suspend funding, warning of the risk to lifesaving aid in Gaza.
Several countries, including the US, Australia, Canada, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Finland, have paused funding to UNRWA over allegations of staff involvement in the 7 October attack.
