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Arab Foreign Ministers Call for Urgent Int’l Action to Stop War on Gaza

Destruction in Gaza caused by Israeli airstrikes (AP)
Destruction in Gaza caused by Israeli airstrikes (AP)
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Arab Foreign Ministers Call for Urgent Int’l Action to Stop War on Gaza

Destruction in Gaza caused by Israeli airstrikes (AP)
Destruction in Gaza caused by Israeli airstrikes (AP)

Arab foreign ministers have called for urgent international action to stop the war on the Gaza Strip.

At the conclusion of an emergency meeting of the Arab League in Cairo on Wednesday, the ministers condemned the targeting of civilians on both sides and warned against attempts to displace the Palestinian people.

Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League Hossam Zaki announced at the end of the extraordinary session the adoption of a resolution, which calls for the immediate cessation of the war on Gaza, and urges everyone to exercise self-restraint.

The resolution warned of the catastrophic humanitarian and security repercussions of the current escalation and underlined the need to work with the international community to launch an urgent and compelling effort to prevent an expansion of violence in the region.

It condemned the targeting of civilians on both sides and all acts that the Palestinian people were subjected to.

The ministers emphasized the need to lift the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip and immediately provide Gazans with humanitarian aid, food, and fuel.

The Arab Ministerial Council expressed its support for the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on their land and warned against any attempts to displace them.

"The way to guarantee security and stability in the region is to achieve just, permanent, and comprehensive peace that meets all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people," the Arab foreign ministers underlined.

The Arab League held the emergency meeting at the level of foreign ministers in response to the request of Palestine and Morocco to discuss the developments in Gaza.

The Secretary-General, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, called for an "immediate" ceasefire in Gaza.

In his opening remarks, Aboul Gheit warned of the expansion of confrontations into something more dangerous, which endangers regional stability.

He said the Arab foreign ministers were meeting under challenging circumstances, and “the ongoing escalation between Hamas and the Israelis is unprecedented in its severity and effects."

He added that the dangerous moment requires everyone to exercise the utmost self-restraint and consider the consequences, stressing that the retaliatory operations practiced and prepared by the Israeli occupation forces will not bring stability but rather more violence and blood.

Aboul Gheit also strongly condemned Israel's relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the surprise deadly incursion by militants into Israel last weekend but used equally strong language to renounce violence against civilians.

"I reject completely and outright any violence against civilians," he told the ministers, adding: "We show our solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza because they face a massacre that must be stopped and condemned immediately."

The Moroccan Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita, said at the meeting that the recent escalation cannot be separated from the ongoing systematic violations and unjust unilateral measures in Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian territory.

In his speech, Bourita expressed his concern about targeting civilians by any party, emphasizing the necessity of providing them with complete protection under international humanitarian law so that they are not targets of the conflict.

Bourita called for exerting every effort to achieve stability and stop bloodshed through collective or individual action by the active international forces to prevent the escalation.

He called for assessing the urgent health and humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip and strengthening the Palestinian negotiating position.

In turn, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki called for an immediate halt to the war and aggression and to secure the entry of basic needs into the Gaza Strip immediately.

Maliki criticized some countries' decision to stop aid to Palestine, advocating for the revival of the peace process through a genuine political negotiation between the two sides, saying negotiation is the right way to attain security, stability, and prosperity in the region.

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Arab World

Yemeni Forces Consolidate West Coast Gains, Reinforce Bab al-Mandab Positions

Yemeni government fighters sit in the back of a vehicle near Dhubab, Taiz Governorate, Yemen, in this still image taken from video released October 5, 2026. Southern Giants Brigades/Handout via REUTERS
Yemeni government fighters sit in the back of a vehicle near Dhubab, Taiz Governorate, Yemen, in this still image taken from video released October 5, 2026. Southern Giants Brigades/Handout via REUTERS
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Yemeni Forces Consolidate West Coast Gains, Reinforce Bab al-Mandab Positions

Yemeni government fighters sit in the back of a vehicle near Dhubab, Taiz Governorate, Yemen, in this still image taken from video released October 5, 2026. Southern Giants Brigades/Handout via REUTERS
Yemeni government fighters sit in the back of a vehicle near Dhubab, Taiz Governorate, Yemen, in this still image taken from video released October 5, 2026. Southern Giants Brigades/Handout via REUTERS

Yemeni armed forces consolidated gains along the western coast and reinforced positions overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait as they pushed ahead in al-Wazi'iyah district in western Taiz province under Operation “Dawn of Yemen.” Fighting with the Houthis continued in the southern Taiz countryside and on fronts around the city.

The armed forces said they had neutralized more than 1,800 Houthi fighters in recent hours. Army figures put Houthi losses at nearly 10,000 killed or wounded over two weeks of air and ground strikes across multiple fronts.

Nation Shield forces, the Giants Brigades and the Joint Forces took full control of the Kahboub front, according to Yemeni military media. The advance strengthens government forces’ hold on heights overlooking Bab al-Mandab and boosts their ability to secure the strategic corridor as operations continue along the western coast.

Taiz province’s emergency committee suspended classes at public, community and private schools, institutes, colleges and universities in districts that have come under Houthi control. It also placed government employees there on temporary leave, citing exceptional security conditions.

The United Nations warned of a worsening humanitarian situation in Taiz as Houthi attacks spread, displacement rises and aid access faces growing restrictions. Major roads remain closed, adding to pressure on services and limited resources.

The eastern road into Taiz city remains closed, the United Nations said in a recent report. Road closures between Aden and Taiz have disrupted a major supply route from warehouses in Aden, hampering aid agencies’ ability to reach those affected and meet growing needs.

Arab World

Iraq Rejects Syrian Request to Repatriate 4,000 Suspected ISIS Detainees

Members of the Iraqi border forces patrol along a concrete wall on the Iraqi-Syrian border, in the town of al-Baghuz in the Al-Qaim district of western Iraq, on January 21, 2026. (AFP)
Members of the Iraqi border forces patrol along a concrete wall on the Iraqi-Syrian border, in the town of al-Baghuz in the Al-Qaim district of western Iraq, on January 21, 2026. (AFP)
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Iraq Rejects Syrian Request to Repatriate 4,000 Suspected ISIS Detainees

Members of the Iraqi border forces patrol along a concrete wall on the Iraqi-Syrian border, in the town of al-Baghuz in the Al-Qaim district of western Iraq, on January 21, 2026. (AFP)
Members of the Iraqi border forces patrol along a concrete wall on the Iraqi-Syrian border, in the town of al-Baghuz in the Al-Qaim district of western Iraq, on January 21, 2026. (AFP)

Iraq has rejected Syria's request to repatriate thousands of suspected ISIS members transferred from Syrian detention centers to Iraqi custody earlier this year, a senior Iraqi security official said on Wednesday.

Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al-Aboudi said that a meeting had been held recently between Syria, Iraq and the United States to discuss the fate of the prisoners.

Al-Aboudi said Syria had requested that the 4,000 Syrian prisoners be handed over to be tried in Syria, but Iraq refused. Iraq has repatriated about 50 Syrian detainees who were determined not to be ISIS members, he told The Associated Press, while the Syrian prisoners remaining in Iraq include about 400 who are believed to be high-level members of the extremist group.

“Iraq is conducting investigations, and anyone proved to have committed crimes in Iraq will be tried under Iraqi law,” he said.

Some prisoners could later be transferred to their home countries to complete their sentences, he said.

Syria did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

More than 5,700 prisoners with alleged ISIS ties — including some 4,000 Syrians — were transferred from northeast Syria to Iraq after fighting broke out in January between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which had long guarded the detention centers where they were held.

Some ISIS-linked prisoners managed to flee during the chaos of the clashes, and there were fears that a larger-scale escape would take place. While the extremist group lost control of the territory it once seized in Iraq and Syria years ago, its cells still periodically carry out attacks in both countries.

The discussions about the prisoners' fate come as the United States has ended a 12-year mission to fight ISIS in Iraq, with the last US troops withdrawing from the country last month.

Al-Aboudi said Iraq has asked for financial support from the US and other countries taking part in the global coalition against ISIS to help with the costs of housing the prisoners.

“Iraq asked for an allocation of $500 million. The coalition promised support, but Iraq is still waiting,” he said.

A US defense official and the office of Tom Barrack, the US envoy to Syria and Iraq, referred questions about the prisoners to Iraqi and Syrian authorities.

Many of the prisoners transferred to Iraq had been held in Syria for years without charges. Rights groups have raised concerns about detention conditions in both countries.

Arab World

Arab Parliament President Stresses Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia Pose Direct Threat to Regional Security

Arab Parliament President Stresses Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia Pose Direct Threat to Regional Security
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Arab Parliament President Stresses Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia Pose Direct Threat to Regional Security

Arab Parliament President Stresses Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia Pose Direct Threat to Regional Security

President of the Arab Parliament Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Yamahi stressed that repeated terrorist attacks by the Houthi militia against Saudi Arabia and its civilian and oil facilities pose a direct threat to regional security.

During his speech at the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, Al-Yamahi addressed Iranian attacks that targeted several Arab countries and threatened civilians, infrastructure, and vital facilities, SPA reported.

He also discussed regional escalation and related threats to the security of Arab countries. He called on the international community to move beyond condemnation and take measures to protect states and their sovereignty and compel the parties to respect international law.