Saudi Arabia to host extraordinary joint Islamic Arab summit

CAIRO:

Saudi Arabia will host an emergency joint Islamic Arab summit in Riyadh on Saturday, the Saudi foreign ministry announced late Friday.

The kingdom was due to host two extraordinary summits, the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the summit of the Arab League, on Saturday. The joint summit will replace the two separate gatherings, the ministry said.

The joint meeting “will be held in response to the extraordinary conditions taking place in the Palestinian Gaza Strip as countries feel the need to unify efforts and arrive at a single collective position,” it said.

The decision was taken after the Kingdom consulted with the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, according to the statement.

On Friday, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh to represent Pakistan at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) emergency meeting on the situation in Gaza.

After the October 7 invasion of Israel by the Palestinian resistance organization Hamas, Israel launched a brutal air campaign against Gaza in complete disregard of international law and mercilessly bombed hospitals, mosques, civilian homes and other structures.

So far, at least 11,000 civilians – at least 40% of them children – have been killed in relentless Israeli attacks.

The Deputy Governor of Riyadh, Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz received the Prime Minister upon his arrival at King Khalid International Airport earlier in the day. Also present were Pakistan’s ambassador Ahmed Farooq and senior Saudi and Pakistani officials.

During his three-day official visit, the prime minister will participate in an emergency meeting to be held in Riyadh, where the Israeli aggression in Gaza will be discussed.