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At the end of their summit in Doha, the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and demanded an immediate ceasefire and Israeli military operations.

In the final statement of the summit, the leaders stressed the need to provide access to all humanitarian and relief assistance and basic needs, resume the work of electricity and water lines, allow the entry of fuel, food and medicine to the people of Gaza, and call on international organizations to participate in this process.

The statement also demanded an end to the illegal Israeli blockade in violation of Security Council Resolution 2417 of 24 May 2018, which condemns the illegal denial of humanitarian aid and condemns the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare prohibited under international humanitarian law.

The final statement praised "the success of the efforts of the State of Qatar, in partnership with the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States, in reaching a humanitarian truce agreement to alleviate the tragic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, release prisoners and detainees from both sides, and allow the entry of a larger number of humanitarian convoys and relief aid, including fuel intended for humanitarian needs."

De-escalation

"The Council expressed its hope that this truce will contribute to stopping the escalation and targeting and forcibly displacing Palestinian civilians, leading to a complete cessation of the war on the Gaza Strip, ending the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people."

"The Council stressed the need for the international community to shoulder its responsibility in dealing with this issue without double standards."

The Supreme Council also welcomed the prominent role of the State of Qatar in the field of mediation, which led to the release of a number of detainees in both the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, which confirmed the position of the State of Qatar as a reliable international partner in the field of mediation.

The statement added that the Council reviewed the developments of the joint Gulf action, expressed its satisfaction with the steps taken to achieve integration among the GCC States, and directed the competent organs in the Member States, the General Secretariat and the ministerial and technical committees to redouble efforts to complete the requirements of the customs union, complete the achievement of the Gulf common market, in accordance with previous Council resolutions, and accelerate the achievement of economic unity among the GCC countries.

The Council approved the decisions of the Joint Defense Board at its twentieth meeting, held on November 21, 2023, stressing the importance of strengthening joint military action.

"The Supreme Council welcomed the presidency of its forty-fifth session of the State of Kuwait, God willing."

Emir of Qatar: The conflict in Palestine is a national issue and a conflict with the occupation (Al Jazeera)

National issue

In a speech at the closing session, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, expressed his "great happiness for the brotherly spirit that prevailed in it, which was characterized by understanding, keenness on objectivity in the discussions, and wisdom in formulating the right decisions that resulted from them, which we hope will contribute to achieving good and prosperity for our brotherly countries and peoples and contribute to serving the causes of our Arab and Islamic nations."

In his speech to the opening session of the summit, the Emir of Qatar said that the conflict in Palestine is not religious and is not about a war on terror, but rather a national issue and a conflict with the occupation.

Sheikh Tamim added that it is a shame for the international community to allow the heinous crime in the Gaza Strip to continue for nearly two full months, during which it continues to systematically kill innocent civilians, including women and children, under the pretext of the principle of self-defence, which does not apply to the occupation and does not allow the crimes of genocide committed by Israel.

He stressed that the cause of the Palestinian people cannot be marginalized, and security is not possible without a lasting peace and a just solution to the Palestinian cause, pointing out that the tragedy has another facet, represented by the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and their quest to obtain all their legitimate rights.

He stressed that the Gaza issue is not separate and there is no Israeli security concern, and the solution is to end the occupation and resolve the Palestinian issue.

The Emir of Qatar called on the UN Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities, end the barbaric war and force Israel to return to negotiations, stressing that the temporary truces are not a substitute for a permanent ceasefire.

He also renewed his condemnation of the targeting of civilians of all nationalities, religions and nationalities, and called for the need to provide them with protection, calling on the United Nations to conduct an international investigation against Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people.

On the first of December, a temporary truce between the Palestinian resistance factions and Israel, which was completed with Qatari mediation, ended and lasted 7 days, during which prisoners were exchanged and humanitarian aid was brought into the Gaza Strip, which is home to about 2.3 million Palestinians.

The truce came after a devastating war waged by Israel on the Gaza Strip, since the seventh of last October, which left massive destruction in infrastructure, and about 16,<> civilian martyrs, most of them children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.

In a related context, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud praised in a cable to the Emir of Qatar the results reached during the meeting of the Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council, which aims to strengthen relations between the two countries, and praised the positive results achieved at the Gulf summit.

Source : Qatar News Agency (QNA)