5 Arab countries back mediation efforts to stop Gaza war

AMMAN, Jordan

Jordan, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia on Monday voiced support for mediation efforts aimed at ending Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

The foreign ministers of the five Arab countries held a virtual meeting during which they discussed mediation efforts by Qatar, Egypt and the US to reach a deal “that leads to a permanent cease-fire, the release of hostages and detainees, and sufficient delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip," reads a joint statement issued following the meeting.

The ministers also reviewed a cease-fire proposal laid out by US President Joe Biden.

They emphasized the importance of “seriously and positively engaging with the US president's proposal to agree a deal to end the conflict in Gaza, the statement said.

The top diplomats also underscored the necessity of launching a reconstruction process in Gaza "as part of a comprehensive plan to implement the two-state solution based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions, with specified timelines and binding guarantees."

On Friday, Biden said Israel presented a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave.

Hamas said it will "respond positively to any proposal that includes a permanent cease-fire, a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction efforts, the return of the displaced, and the completion of a comprehensive hostage exchange deal."

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office reiterated on Friday that the government intends to continue its deadly offensive on Gaza until all of Tel Aviv's war "goals" are met.

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas, mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt, have so far failed to agree on a permanent cease-fire.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 36,400 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and nearly 82,700 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar