Saudi FM in Cairo to Chair Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee Meeting on Gaza
The Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, has arrived in Cairo, Egypt, to chair the Ministerial Committee meeting on Gaza, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The Ministerial Committee assigned by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit on the developments in the Gaza Strip will hold a meeting later on Sunday. The European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, will attend the meeting.
Ministerial Committee Meeting
Egypt is set to host a meeting of the Ministerial Committee assigned by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit on the developments in the Gaza Strip. The meeting will discuss the crisis in Gaza and other regional security challenges, according to an EU press release.
Established on November 11, 2023 in Riyadh, the Ministerial Committee includes the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Türkiye, Indonesia, Nigeria, Palestine, as well as the Secretary Generals of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Israel’s Resumption of Gaza War
On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, Israel had resumed airstrikes on Gaza, killing 400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. This was followed by ground operations on Wednesday, effectively ending a ceasefire with Hamas which came into force in January 2025.
The Israeli military also started ground operations in northern Gaza on Thursday to retake full control over the Netzarim Corridor and expand the buffer zone that divides northern Gaza from the south.
In response, Saudi Arabia strongly condemned Israel’s resumption of aggression against the Gaza Strip and the direct shelling of civilian areas, with no regard for international humanitarian law.
Condemning Israeli Aggression
The Ministerial Committee on Thursday condemned the Israeli military raids and direct bombardment of civilian-populated areas in Gaza, which killed and injured hundreds of Palestinians.
In a statement, the Committee said that these attacks “constitute a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and a violation of UN resolutions, international charters, treaties, agreements, and international humanitarian law.”
It also warned that this “exacerbates the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, and poses a serious threat to the security and stability of the region, and an escalation that increases the threat of a wider conflict in the region, undermining the efforts to deescalate tensions and achieve stability in the region.”
Commitment to Ceasefire Deal
The Ministerial Committee stressed the urgent need to implement the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel to end the war in Gaza.
“The Ministerial Committee affirms the urgent necessity of a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza, end the Israeli escalation, resume dialogue, and ceasefire negotiations for the implementation of all the stages of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, ultimately ending the war on Gaza and preventing a return to a renewed cycle of violence,” the statement said.
Support for Two-State Solution
Furthermore, the Committee reiterated its support for the two-state solution to end the Palestinian Israeli conflict. “The Ministerial Committee reiterates its steadfast position on the importance of achieving a just and sustainable peace for the Palestinian cause within the framework of the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative,” the statement noted.
It also called for the protection of Palestinian rights in accordance with UN resolutions and international law, including “the establishment of their independent state on the 1967 lines and the embodiment of the Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” the statement added.
