Arab-Islamic Summit Condemns Israeli Strikes, Demands Immediate Gaza Ceasefire
DOHA, QATAR – Monday, 16 Sep 2025 – An emergency joint summit of Arab and Islamic leaders concluded in Doha today with a strong condemnation of recent Israeli military actions, including a strike on the Qatari capital, and issued a firm demand for an immediate end to the offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The high-level meeting, which brought together leaders and senior officials from the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), was convened to formulate a unified response to the escalating crisis in Gaza and the recent regional tensions.
A central point of the summit’s sweeping declaration was the condemnation of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Doha earlier this month. The strike, which was not detailed in the declaration, was denounced as a “blatant violation of international law and the sovereignty of the State of Qatar,” a key mediator in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The final statement from the summit held “Israel, the occupying power, fully responsible for the indiscriminate and brutal war crimes it is committing in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories.” It called on the United Nations Security Council to take immediate action to adopt a “binding resolution” imposing a ceasefire and ensuring the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.
Furthermore, the leaders rejected any justification for the continued war as self-defence or the pursuit of Hamas, labelling such arguments a pretext for “the crimes of forced displacement and collective punishment.”
Key resolutions from the summit included:
· A demand for an immediate and complete ceasefire.
· A call for all countries to halt arms exports to Israel.
· A plan to pursue legal and diplomatic avenues, including at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), to hold Israel accountable for alleged war crimes.
· Rejection of any future Israeli plans for the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.
The presence of leaders like Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, underscored the regional significance of the event. However, the absence of leaders from key U.S.-allied states like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, who sent senior officials instead, highlighted the complex diplomatic challenges in achieving a fully unified stance.
The outcomes of the Doha summit signal a intensified and coordinated diplomatic effort from the Arab and Islamic world to pressure Israel and its allies to bring an end to the conflict, which has resulted in significant civilian casualties and a severe humanitarian catastrophe.
