Arab League says Gaza Strip must remain part of an independent Palestinian state

CAIRO — Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy said the organisation will keep working to end the suffering of Palestinians and to ensure the Gaza Strip stays part of an independent Palestinian state, Arab News reported, citing the Saudi Press Agency.

According to Arab News, Fahmy said the Arab League would act with its member states and partners. He stressed its commitment to mobilising humanitarian, political and legal support and to implementing international legitimacy resolutions.

Fahmy did not deliver the remarks himself, the report said. Ambassador Faed Mustafa, Assistant Secretary-General and head of the Palestine and Occupied Arab Territories Sector, read them on his behalf on Sunday. The event took place at the Arab League's General Secretariat in Cairo. Arab News said it marked the victims of what the statement described as Israel's genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Casualty figures and humanitarian concerns

Fahmy said the October 17 commemoration renewed the commitment to defending human dignity and the rights of the Palestinian people, according to the report. Citing Palestinian medical statistics, he said the death toll in Gaza had passed 74,000. He said this included more than 21,000 children. He added that more than 35,000 women had been killed or injured since October 2023. Arab News did not independently verify these figures.

He warned that continued restrictions on water, food, medicine, humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials were worsening the humanitarian crisis, Arab News reported. He said the shrinking of safe zones had the same effect.

Fahmy called for humanitarian aid to be delivered without obstruction, including medicine, food and fuel. He also urged the restoration of water and sanitation networks and other essential services. He said recovery and reconstruction required ensuring the foundations of a dignified life for Gaza's population.

Ceasefire and political path

On the Gaza ceasefire, Fahmy said Israel's continued military presence and expanding control over parts of the Gaza Strip were limiting the areas civilians can reach, according to the report. He said this raised concerns about compliance with the ceasefire terms.

He stressed the need to consolidate the ceasefire and to ensure Israel withdraws in line with agreed commitments. He also called for the Palestinian Authority to be enabled to resume its role in Gaza, Arab News said.

Fahmy said a just peace requires a clear political path. In the report's account, that path must end the occupation, preserve the unity of Palestinian territory and guarantee the Palestinian people's right to self-determination. He said it must lead to an independent, sovereign Palestinian state based on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. He said this should follow international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Unconfirmed

The casualty figures come from Fahmy's remarks, which attribute them to Palestinian medical statistics. The description of Israel's actions as genocide comes from the statement as reported by Arab News. The report did not include a response from Israel or from the Palestinian Authority. Arab News did not say whether the Arab League announced any new measures.

Background

The report said the figures Fahmy cited cover the period since October 2023. His remarks refer to ceasefire terms and agreed commitments on Israeli withdrawal, but the report does not set out those terms. The Arab Peace Initiative, which Fahmy cited, is one of the frameworks he named as the basis for a Palestinian state alongside international legitimacy resolutions.