Tue, Jan 07, 2025 | Rajab 7, 1446 | DXB ktweather icon0°C

Kuwait emir urges 'immediate ceasefire' in Gaza at Gulf summit

The meeting of the six-member GCC comes at a time of ongoing uncertainty for the Middle East following Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel

Published: Sun 1 Dec 2024, 7:15 PM

Updated: Sun 1 Dec 2024, 7:16 PM

  • By
  • AFP

Top Stories

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE's Vice-President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the 45th Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Kuwait City of Sunday.— AFP

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE's Vice-President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the 45th Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Kuwait City of Sunday.— AFP

Kuwait's ruler on Sunday urged an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as he addressed a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council held after nearly 14 months of war in the Palestinian territory.

Emir Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Sabah called on the international community to implement "an immediate ceasefire, providing international protection for innocent civilians and ensuring the opening of safe corridors and the arrival of urgent humanitarian aid".

The meeting of the six-member GCC comes at a time of acute and ongoing uncertainty for the Middle East following Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a subsequent war on Gaza, which has repeatedly threatened spillover into a wider regional conflagration.

Sheikh Meshal hit out at what he characterised as the "double standards in the application of relevant international laws, charters and resolutions" which he said had undermined "the region's security and stability".

He said Kuwait was "optimistic" about a ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon that he said would contribute "to reducing escalation in the region".

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar and other countries also welcomed last week's truce after a year of conflict that killed thousands in Lebanon and caused mass displacement on both sides of the border.

Fighting escalated in September after continuous cross-border strikes, initiated by Hezbollah in support of Hamas.

The Kuwaiti ruler spoke in support of Saudi's work to form a global body pushing for an independent Palestinian state and lauded "positive and constructive" work by Iran and the GCC.



Next Story