Arab summit calls for immediate ceasefire as Israel launches new Gaza offensive

Arab leaders gathered at a summit in Baghdad on Saturday called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, accusing Israel of attempting to expel Palestinians from the enclave after it ramped up its bombing campaign.

The Israeli army announced that it had begun the “initial stages” of the new offensive, part of “the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip, to achieve all the war’s objectives, including the release of the abducted and the defeat of Hamas”.

It said it had “launched extensive strikes and transferred forces to seize control of areas within the Gaza Strip”.

Israel’s defense minister said Operation Gideon Chariots began and was being led with “great force” by Israel’s army.

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The announcement comes after days of intensive strikes across Gaza that killed hundreds of people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi, whose country is one of the main mediators in Gaza peace talks, described Israel’s actions as ”systematic crimes” aimed at ”obliterating and annihilating” the Palestinians and ”ending their existence in the Gaza Strip”.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the summit’s host, said Israel was engaged in genocide.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who addressed the summit, said ”nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people”.

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Israel launched dozens of airstrikes across Gaza on Friday that local health officials said killed 108 people, mostly women and children, and which Israeli officials described as a prelude to a stepped-up campaign to pressure Hamas to release hostages.

Israel also struck two ports in Yemen that it said were used by the Houthi militant group to transfer weapons. Local health officials said at least one person was killed and nine injured.

The strikes across the Gaza Strip followed days of attacks that killed more than 130 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, and came as U.S. President Donald Trump wrapped up a visit to the region that included stops in three Gulf states but not Israel.

There had been widespread hope that Trump’s trip could increase the chances of a ceasefire deal or the resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza, which Israel has prevented for more than two months. The Trump administration is also trying to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran, which backs several anti-Israel militant groups, including Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen.