GCC Slams Israel’s Attack on Khan Younis, Calling it a War Crime

Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of Israeli strikes on a makeshift displacement camp in Mawasi Khan Yunis on September 10, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of Israeli strikes on a makeshift displacement camp in Mawasi Khan Yunis on September 10, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
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GCC Slams Israel’s Attack on Khan Younis, Calling it a War Crime

Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of Israeli strikes on a makeshift displacement camp in Mawasi Khan Yunis on September 10, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of Israeli strikes on a makeshift displacement camp in Mawasi Khan Yunis on September 10, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi strongly condemned on Tuesday the “brutal massacre carried out by the Israeli forces against innocent Palestinian refugees in Khan Younis in Gaza.”

He stressed that these continuous and brutal attacks perpetrated by the Israeli forces against unarmed civilians in Gaza and the rest of the Palestinian territories “can only be described as deliberate war crimes, revealing a blatant and systematic criminal approach that reflects an utter disregard for international and humanitarian laws and treaties.”

He added that these acts are “blatant contempt for all legal, ethical, and humanitarian values,” the GCC said in a statement.

Albudaiwi called on the international community “to take immediate and urgent action to put an end to these heinous crimes, take decisive measures to cease fire immediately, subject the Israeli forces to accountability for their crimes against humanity, and hold the Israeli government responsible for its racist and barbaric policies against the defenseless Palestinians.”

An Israeli strike hit a crowded Palestinian tent camp early Tuesday in Gaza, killing at least 19 people and wounding 60, Palestinian officials said.

The overnight strike occurred in Mawasi, a sprawl of crowded tent camps along the Gaza coast that Israel designated as a humanitarian zone for hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians to seek shelter from the nearly year-old Israel-Hamas war.

The Muslim World League (MWL) also strongly condemned “the horrific massacres perpetrated by the Israeli forces against the Palestinian people.”

It denounced the continued targeting of unarmed displaced Palestinians in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis, located in a designated “safe zone” in the southern Gaza Strip.

In a statement, MWL Secretary General Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa expressed his deepest concern over the Israeli government's “blatant violation of all international and humanitarian resolutions, laws, and norms.”

“This ongoing humanitarian catastrophe, unfolding before the eyes of the world, is a direct challenge to the international community's calls for the protection of innocent lives,” he added.

Sheikh Al-Issa emphasized that “there is no justification for this barbarism and humanitarian tragedy other than defiance, arrogance, and revenge against innocent lives. This escalation only serves to complicate the Palestinian issue and hinder the pursuit of peace in the region.”

The MWL called upon the international community “to take urgent action to halt these ongoing massacres, confront the systematic killing, and stop the humanitarian catastrophe facing the Palestinian people.”



GCC Condemns Terrorist Houthi Attack against Saudi Arabia

GCC Secretary General Jasem Albudaiwi. (GCC)
GCC Secretary General Jasem Albudaiwi. (GCC)
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GCC Condemns Terrorist Houthi Attack against Saudi Arabia

GCC Secretary General Jasem Albudaiwi. (GCC)
GCC Secretary General Jasem Albudaiwi. (GCC)

The Gulf Cooperation Council strongly condemned on Monday the terrorist Houthi attack with ballistic missiles against the Southern Region in Saudi Arabia.

GCC Secretary General Jasem Albudaiwi stressed that the “cowardly attack is a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.”

It reflects the Houthi militia’s “insistence on undermining security and stability and threatening the safety of civilians and installations.”

He called for a “firm and deterrent international stance to put an end to its hostile practices and ensure those responsible are held accountable.”

He said that the security of Saudi Arabia “is an integral part of the security of the GCC member states, and that the Council stands as one with the Kingdom in all measures it takes to protect its security, stability, and the safety of its citizens and residents on its territory.”


UAE: Two Iranian Missiles Struck Oil Tankers in Strait of Hormuz

TOPSHOT - This picture shows ships sailing near the Strait of Hormuz off the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates at Khor Fakkan on July 13, 2026. (Photo by AFP) /
TOPSHOT - This picture shows ships sailing near the Strait of Hormuz off the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates at Khor Fakkan on July 13, 2026. (Photo by AFP) /
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UAE: Two Iranian Missiles Struck Oil Tankers in Strait of Hormuz

TOPSHOT - This picture shows ships sailing near the Strait of Hormuz off the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates at Khor Fakkan on July 13, 2026. (Photo by AFP) /
TOPSHOT - This picture shows ships sailing near the Strait of Hormuz off the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates at Khor Fakkan on July 13, 2026. (Photo by AFP) /

The UAE Defense Ministry said early on Tuesday that two UAE-flagged vessels, Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, were targeted by two Iranian cruise missiles while transiting the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz in Omani territorial waters.

The ministry added that one Indian crew member was killed and eight others were wounded in the latest escalation in the strategic waterway.

The ministry condemned the attack as a serious violation and a clear breach of international law that threatens regional security and stability. It said the UAE reserved the right to respond to the escalation and to take all necessary measures to protect its territory, citizens and residents, safeguard its sovereignty, security and stability, and defend its national interests.

The ministry said it remained on high alert and fully prepared to deal with any threats, adding that it was taking all necessary measures to counter any attempts to undermine the country's security and stability. It urged the public to rely on official sources for information and to refrain from circulating rumors or unverified reports.


Saudi Foreign Minister Holds Phone Call with Italian Counterpart

Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Foreign Minister (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Foreign Minister (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Foreign Minister Holds Phone Call with Italian Counterpart

Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Foreign Minister (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Foreign Minister (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah held a telephone call with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy Antonio Tajani, the Saudi Press Agency reported Monday.

The call reviewed relations and ways to strengthen them. The two ministers also discussed regional developments, the importance of maritime security and freedom of navigation, and international efforts to implement the two-state solution and achieve a just and lasting peace.