RIYADH: The leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Friday stressed the need for a durable ceasefire in Gaza, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The leaders made the call during the GCC-ASEAN summit hosted by Saudi Arabia in Riyadh. Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia chaired the session.
Attacks on civilians, condemned
In a joint statement condemning attacks on civilians, the two bodies urged all relevant parties to allow most effective and efficient access for humanitarian aid, and relief supplies, basic necessities and essential services, while restoring electricity and water, throughout Gaza.
“Call on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians, refrain from targeting them and to abide by international humanitarian law, particularly the principles and provisions of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949,” said the statement.
GCC-ASEAN Statement on Developments in Gaza Issued.https://t.co/aDyVHb9cXL#SPAGOV pic.twitter.com/Umfb9fQBHj
— SPAENG (@Spa_Eng) October 20, 2023
The meeting called for the immediate and unconditional release of civilian hostages and detainees, especially women, children, the sick and the elderly.
The two bodies also urged all parties to work towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict to realize the two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders in accordance with international law and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
The meeting supported the initiative of Saudi Arabia, the European Union and the League of Arab States to revive the Middle East peace process in cooperation with Egypt and Jordan, and resolve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute in accordance with international law and all UN resolutions on this conflict.
Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf Qudra on Friday said that so far 4,137 people have been killed in Gaza due to Israel’s ongoing bombardment including 1,524 children and 1,000 women.
He further said that the number of injured has reached to 13,300, adding that over 1,000 others are missing.
