UPDATE - Pan-Islamic grouping to hold emergency meeting Tuesday to discuss Israeli assaults against Palestinians

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Rania Abu Shamala and Betul Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said Monday that it will hold an emergency meeting Tuesday to discuss the ongoing Israeli assaults against Palestinians.

In a statement, the Jeddah-based grouping said the meeting will be held at the level of permanent representatives “regarding the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and the targeting of holy sites in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly the Ibrahimi Mosque in Al-Khalil (Hebron).”

The meeting “comes amid an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip as a result of the ongoing crimes of genocide, starvation, and displacement committed by the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip, and the escalation of Israeli attacks on places of worship,” it added.

Separately, Palestine called on Monday for an urgent Arab League meeting to be held on Tuesday at the level of permanent delegates to discuss the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.

According to the official news agency Wafa, Palestinian delegate Mohannad Aklouk asked participants to discuss the ongoing Israeli violations against the Palestinians and their holy sites in the occupied West Bank.

At least 18 Palestinians have starved to death in Gaza in the last 24 hours alone, the Health Ministry said, highlighting the escalating humanitarian catastrophe as relentless bombardment and deprivation converge to push civilians beyond the brink.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 59,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and a spread of disease.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.