Daily Times

A summit of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders urged an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Sunday, following calls for a truce by host Kuwait after nearly 14 months of war in the Palestinian territory.

In the final statement of the summit, the six-member body called for an “immediate and permanent cessation of Israeli fire and military operations” as well as “the delivery of all humanitarian and relief aid and basic needs to the residents of Gaza”.

The meeting comes at a time of acute and ongoing uncertainty for the Middle East following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and a subsequent war on Gaza.

Earlier, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah called on the international community to implement “an immediate ceasefire, providing international protection for innocent civilians and ensuring the opening of safe corridors and the arrival of urgent humanitarian aid”.

The summit was also attended by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and Oman’s Deputy Prime Minister Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said.

In his address, Sheikh Meshal hit out at what he characterised as the “double standards in the application of relevant international laws, charters and resolutions” which he said had undermined “the region’s security and stability”.

He said Kuwait was “optimistic” about a ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon that he said would contribute “to reducing escalation in the region”.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and other countries also welcomed last week’s a truce after a year of conflict that killed thousands in Lebanon and caused mass displacement on both sides of the border.

Fighting escalated in September after nearly a year of cross-border strikes, initiated by Iran-backed Hezbollah in support of Hamas.

The Kuwaiti ruler spoke in support of Saudi Arabia’s work to form a global body pushing for an independent Palestinian state and lauded “positive and constructive” work by Iran and the GCC.

Saudi Arabia had appeared close to a normalisation deal with Israel prior to October 2023 but Riyadh indicated it was unwilling to move ahead while Israel pursued its campaign in Gaza, hardening its position in recent months and saying it would not recognise Israel without an independent Palestinian state.

Anxious about being drawn into tit-for-tat strikes between Israel and nearby Iran, also precipitated by fighting in Gaza, the wealthy and traditionally western-allied Gulf monarchies have sought to cultivate improved relations with Tehran.

An Israeli air raid on Iran in October was the most recent in a series of retaliatory attacks between the two countries.