AMMAN — The Arab League Council issued a strong condemnation of Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza, accusing it of turning the besieged enclave into a "zone of famine" and committing acts that constitute “genocide” under international law.

 

In its final statement, the council described Israel as “an illegal occupying power” and charged it with deliberately imposing deadly conditions on the Palestinian population by using starvation as a weapon of war. It urged the international community to intervene immediately in accordance with international humanitarian law to stop the assault, lift the blockade on Gaza, and ensure the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid, including food, medicine, and medical supplies.

 

The council called for the activation of international accountability mechanisms to investigate and prosecute what it termed “Israeli war crimes” and called for full support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), whose operations have been severely affected.

 

It also stressed the need to implement resolutions from previous Arab and Islamic summits that call for ending the blockade and ensuring access for Arab, Islamic, and international humanitarian convoys. The statement demanded that international organizations be granted access to Gaza and that their staff be protected to carry out relief work.

 

The statement further accused Israel of deliberately targeting Islamic and Christian places of worship, citing the recent shelling of the Latin Church in Gaza City, which left several civilians dead and caused significant damage. It also condemned attacks on hospitals, schools, and refugee shelters.

 

The Council denounced Israel’s ongoing financial and economic measures against the Palestinian Authority, including the withholding of tax revenues. It called these acts an attempt to destabilise the Palestinian government and demanded the immediate release of funds, along with the establishment of a transparent emergency financial safety net.

 

It also asserted that Israel’s actions, including forced displacement, destruction of infrastructure, denial of basic necessities, and the creation of unliveable conditions, constitute a form of genocide under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and the 1948 Genocide Convention.