The foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries are convening on Monday for the 21st Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Jeddah.
The discussions focus developing coordinated responses to the ongoing Israeli military aggression against the Palestinian people, in light of Israel’s plans for the full takeover of the Gaza Strip and the expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
OIC Extraordinary Meeting
The OIC meeting discusses Israel’s ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people, its genocide crimes and starvation and attempts to forcibly displace the people of Gaza. It comes on the heels of the UN declaration of famine in Gaza City and surrounding areas.
The meeting aims to coordinate positions and joint efforts of the organization’s member countries to “confront decisions and plans aiming to enshrine the full Israeli occupation and control over the Gaza Strip, as well as the Israeli crimes of genocide, starvation, displacement, blockade and the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip,” the OIC said in a statement.
The Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, chairs the meeting, as Türkiye holds the rotating presidency of the OIC Council. The Secretary-General of the OIC, Hissein Brahim Taha, and the foreign ministers of the member states are attending the meeting, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, and Iran.
Addressing Israeli Crimes
On Sunday, a Senior Officials’ Preparatory Meeting was held at the OIC’s General Secretariat headquarter in Jeddah. The Turkish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nuh Yilmaz, chaired the meeting.
In his opening speech, he reaffirmed that the OIC extraordinary meeting would address the unprecedented humanitarian tragedy, the continuation of Israeli terrorism and settler violence in the West Bank, and the deteriorating situation in Jerusalem.
Yilmaz stressed that the current developments require “urgent action” from OIC member states. “Israel is reinventing genocide in the 21st century and the horrific images of innocent civilians, children, and infants dying from bullets or starvation in Gaza are shocking the entire world,” he said.
Immediate Ceasefire
Yilmaz pointed out that the way forward must include an immediate and lasting ceasefire, the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid through the UN and reliable local and international non-governmental organizations.
In addition, it must involve the expansion of the coalition in support of Palestine to implement the two-state solution, and coordinated measures to impose more sanctions on Israel.
Similarly, the OIC Secretary-General, Hissen Brahim Taha, emphasized that Israel’s continued crimes and massacres against the Palestinian people require more effective and influential action on the international stage to end this brutal Israeli aggression, in accordance with the resolutions adopted at the Arab-Islamic summit held on 11 November 2024 in Riyadh.
Furthermore, he stressed the need to advance regional and international efforts to achieve a ceasefire, leading to an end to the Israeli aggression, the return of displaced persons, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the advancement of the Arab-Islamic plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
He also stressed the importance of following up on the implementation of the outcomes of the high-level conference on the two-state solution, held in New York under the presidency of Saudi Arabia and France.
Famine in Gaza
The OIC voiced its “profound concern” over the findings of the UN-supported Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, which determined that Gaza City and the surrounding areas are officially enduring famine that will likely spread across the entire enclave.
On Friday, the IPC declared that 514,000 people in the Gaza Strip – about a quarter of the enclave’s population – are “facing catastrophic conditions characterized by starvation, destitution and death.”
By the end of September 2025, this number is projected to rise to 641,000 people as famine will likely spread to central and southern areas of Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis.
In the light of this, the OIC stressed that this declaration “serves as a critical alert regarding a multidimensional humanitarian, political, and legal crisis that necessitates immediate and exceptional international intervention.”
