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GCC leaders and President Erdogan demand an end to the occupation of Gaza and accuse Israel of breaking international law there.

RIYADH: The GCC reaffirmed its demand that Israel withdraw from its occupation of the Palestinian territory and denounced Israel for committing "clear violations" of international law.

The leaders of the six countries denounced Israel's continuous military actions in Gaza in a statement released at the conclusion of the 44th Gulf Cooperation Council session on Tuesday. The actions "have led to the forced displacement of the civilian population, and the destruction of civilian facilities and infrastructure, including residential buildings, schools, health facilities, and places of worship."

The declaration of decleration continued by expressing displeasure with the "blatant Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people" and asserting that such acts were "in clear violation of international law and international humanitarian law."

As the head of Saudi Arabia's delegation, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attended the summit in Qatar.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the leaders of the six Gulf countries, stating that trade between his country and the GCC countries had reached a value of $23 billion.

He proceeded by denouncing Israel's ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip, saying:

In Gaza, Netanyahu is waging war crimes against humanity.

Furthermore, for the sake of his political future, he claimed that Netanyahu “is pushing the entire region into danger.”

As Israeli forces began their much anticipated storm of the southern Gaza Strip's largest city, hospitals in the region were flooded with dozens of Palestinian dead and injured. The GCC leaders met in Qatar around this time.

Residents reported that Israeli tanks had penetrated the eastern areas of Khan Younis for the first time, marching westward from the Israeli border line, in what seemed to be the largest ground attack since the truce broke last week.

Some took up positions on the eastern outskirts of Khan Younis inside the village of Bani Suhaila, while others proceeded and were stationed on the fringe of Hamad City, a housing complex funded by Qatar, according to residents.

Israeli forces dropped more leaflets on Tuesday instructing the locals to stay inside shelters during the attack, following days of orders for them to leave the region.

The leaflets stated, "The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) will launch an intense attack on your area of residence in the coming hours to destroy the terrorist organization Hamas."

"Don't vacate just yet. Stay at the hospitals and shelters where you are for your own protection. Refrain from leaving. It's risky to go out. You've been alerted

However, 80% of Gaza's 2.3 million citizens have been forced to leave their homes by Israel's shelling, with the majority escaping south, an area densely populated with more people than London.

Furthermore, hundreds more remain missing and are thought to be buried under debris, while over 15,800 people have been verified dead, according to Gaza health professionals recognized as credible by the UN.

In order to establish a long-lasting ceasefire and guarantee that all humanitarian aid would reach its intended recipients, the proclamation went on to demand the immediate restart of a humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip.

The summit promised to help the Palestinian people moving forward and to keep working to lessen the suffering of Gaza Strip residents.

Rebuilding "what the Israeli war machine destroyed in its attacks on the Strip during the past years" was another commitment made in the GCC statement.

The leaders of the GCC issued a grim warning, stating that "dire consequences for the peoples of the region and for international peace and security" would result from the war's potential to spread to other parts of the Middle East.

Additionally, they urged the world community to step in and mediate a ceasefire while safeguarding civilians.

The council reaffirmed its support for Palestinian sovereignty over all occupied regions and its demand that the occupation of Palestine end.

In line with international law, UN resolutions, and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, it commended Saudi Arabia for its ongoing efforts and initiative to resurrect the peace process in collaboration with the Arab League, the European Union, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, earlier in his inaugural speech urged the UN Security Council to compel Israel to return to the negotiation table on the Gaza conflict.

"The international community should be ashamed for allowing this horrible crime to go unpunished for almost two months, when innocent civilians, including women and children, are being killed on a systematic and intentional basis," he declared during the meeting. 

Although the truce was "not an alternative to a permanent ceasefire," the Emir of Qatar stated that his nation was "constantly working to renew" it.

He denounced the killing of citizens of all races and religions and demanded "an international investigation into the massacres committed by Israel."

Following the conference, the GCC council issued a statement in which Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, the foreign minister of Qatar, stated that the mediation talks on Gaza are still in progress and that the major objective at this time is to put an end to the conflict in Gaza.  

The minister emphasized that it is intolerable to obstruct the beleaguered strip's access to humanitarian aid.

Source arabnews.com