Israel calls on Arab leaders assembled in Riyadh to condemn Hamas

Shafaq News / On Saturday, the Israeli government called on Arab leaders to condemn the "massacres" committed by Hamas and work towards the immediate release of over 200 hostages held by the movement since October 7.

The spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister, Ofir Gendelman, stated on the "X" platform (formerly Twitter), "We urge all Arab leaders to work towards the immediate release of over 200 kidnapped and missing individuals held by Hamas, including infants, children, women, men, and the elderly, representing various religious backgrounds," according to Alhurra.

Gendelman added, "You must condemn the massacres committed by Hamas and its war against Israel," emphasizing that "Hamas's actions violate Islamic law."

The Israeli spokesperson accused Hamas of taking Gaza residents as hostages and using them as human shields. He continued, "Israel liberated Gaza's residents from the grip of the terrorist oppressive regime, and the Arab world should recognize Hamas's presence."

He called on "all Arab leaders to coordinate with us to find ways to provide humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza."

Saudi Arabia hosts Arab and Islamic leaders today in an extraordinary summit in Riyadh as the kingdom seeks to exert pressure on the United States and Israel to end hostilities in Gaza.

Dozens of leaders, including Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, attended the summit, expected to strongly condemn the Israeli campaign in Gaza and call for an end to the forced displacement of Palestinians.

The summit also includes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was welcomed back to the Arab League earlier this year.

Tensions have been high in the Middle East since Hamas fighters crossed into Israel on October 7. Israel says the attack resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people.

Since then, Israel has intensified its attacks on Gaza, killing 11,078 residents as of yesterday, Friday, with 40% of them being children, according to Palestinian officials.