Arab League summit begins in Baghdad with Gaza at top of agenda
In March, at an emergency summit in Cairo, Arab leaders endorsed a proposed plan for reconstruction of the Gaza Strip without displacing its roughly two million residents.
Saturday's summit comes two months after after Israel ended a ceasefire reached with the Hamas militant group in January.
In recent days, Israel has launched widespread attacks in Gaza and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed a further escalation of force to pursue his aim of destroying Hamas.
The Baghdad meeting was upstaged by US President Donald Trump's tour in the region earlier in the week.
Mr Trump's visit did not usher in a deal for a new ceasefire in Gaza as many had hoped, but he grabbed headlines by meeting with new Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa – who had once fought against US forces in Iraq – and promising to remove US sanctions imposed on Syria.
Mr al-Sharaa was not attending the summit in Baghdad, where Syria's delegation was headed by foreign minister Asaad al-Shibani.
Iraqi Shia militias and political factions are wary of Mr al-Sharaa's past as a Sunni militant and had pushed back against his invitation to the summit.
Formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, Mr al-Sharaa joined the ranks of al-Qaida insurgents battling US forces in Iraq after the American-led invasion in 2003 to oust Saddam Hussein and still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq.
During Syria's conflict that began in March 2011, several Iraqi Shia militias fought alongside the forces of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, making Mr al-Sharaa today a particularly sensitive figure for them.
Iraq, which has strong – and sometimes conflicting – ties with both the United States and Iran, has sought to strike a difficult balance between them and to position itself as a regional mediator.
An Iraqi political official said that Iran's Quds Force commander Esmail Ghaani had paid a visit to Baghdad prior to the summit, and 'conveyed messages of support for the Iranian-American negotiations' for a nuclear deal and a demand for the lifting of crippling sanctions on Iran.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Dawn French sparks backlash after filming peculiar video about October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel
Dawn French has sparked a ferocious backlash after describing the October 7 attacks unleashed by Hamas terrorists on Israel as 'a bad thing' during a bizarre social media rant. The Vicar of Dibley star, 67, posted to X discussing her thoughts on the 'nuanced' situation in Israel and Gaza. Adopting a baby-like voice, French appeared to belittle supporters of Israel's actions amid the ongoing war against Hamas. During the 40-second video, the actress can be heard saying: 'Complicated, no, but nuanced. But [the] bottom line is no,' inferring that Israel should cease its military campaign. The British comedian then adopted more infantile tones as she gave an impression of those with opposing views to her own. 'Yeah, but you know they did a bad thing to we want that we have history… Those people aren't really even people, are they?' she can be heard saying in a whining manner. At the end of each statement French returns to her natural voice and emphatically says 'No'. Critics have seized upon the video, which has racked up 4.7million views since it was first posted on Thursday, and accused French of 'mocking' the events of October 7. Actress and playwright Tracy-Ann Oberman, who is Jewish, said she was 'saddened' by the post. 'This mocking voice 'bad thing' of October 7 that Dawn (who I revere by the way) appears to be mocking involved the most horrific terrorist attack involving rape, sexual violence, burning alive child, mutilation and the taking of civilian hostages. 'Why would Dawn seem to deny that which has affected so many of us personally in the most painful way possible. 'I can mourn the horrors of the war in Gaza whilst also remembering the horrors of what started it. 'Is this how most of our industry feels now – Oct 7 was a 'little thing'? NO!' Former MP and author Louise Mensch accused French of having a 'chuckle and chunter'. She said: 'A 'bad thing'? Rapes, murders, torture, strangled a couple of infants, etc etc, so let's have a good chuckle and chunter, shall we Dawn? 'But the saddest thing about this post is not its casual cruelty, but that you think you're a progressive. You're not.' Former MP and author Louise Mensch accused French of having a 'chuckle and chunter' Meanwhile comedy screenwriter and activist Lee Kern said French had 'sneeringly mocked' the October 7 massacre. He wrote: 'I imagine you think you are moral and righteous and taking a stand against pain and suffering. 'But not only do you remain intellectually incurious about who the architect of all this suffering is, (Hamas), not only do you fail to say NO to them in front of your audience and condemn them for their retention of the hostages, use of human shields, fighting from hospitals, schools and civilian proactively broadcast - with misplaced pride - a wicked glee in your mockery and dismissal of Jewish suffering, pain and death...' French later responded to Oberman's post to emphasise she did not 'support the atrocities of Oct 7th.' She wrote: 'I do not say 'a little thing'. In NO WAY do I support the atrocities of Oct 7th. Of course not. Appalling. Horrific. 'But starving innocent children is not the answer. NO is the answer to ALL of it Tracy.' Israel has been waging a military campaign in Gaza since Hamas' brutal massacre on October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were murdered and 251 taken hostage. At least 20 of the remaining 56 hostages still held by Hamas are thought to be alive. According to official Hamas figures, at least 54,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war. The Israeli military issued an evacuation order on Friday for residents of parts of Gaza City ahead of an attack that 'will strike all areas from which rockets are launched'. Israel has recently stepped up its campaign in Gaza in what it says is a renewed push to defeat Hamas amid growing international calls for a negotiated ceasefire.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS FBI issues urgent warning about 'elevated threat' to Jewish communities following Colorado attack
Security officials have issued an urgent warning about the 'elevated threat' to Jewish communities nationwide following two recent antisemitic attacks. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the public service announcement, warning people to stay vigilant as the ongoing violence in Gaza may 'motivate' further attacks. Officials cited two recent threats at the basis for the warning: the May shooting at the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington DC, and the recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado. 'The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict may motivate other violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators with similar grievances to conduct violence against Jewish and Israeli communities and their supporters,' the release stated. 'Foreign terrorist organizations also may try to exploit narratives related to the conflict to inspire attacks in the United States. 'The FBI and DHS therefore urge the public to remain vigilant and to report any threats of violence or suspicious activity to law enforcement.' The warning comes after 12 people were injured in Boulder during a vigil for the Jewish hostages still held captive by Hamas in Gaza. The group was carrying out a weekly silent walk in solidarity with the hostages as it has done ever since the October 7 attack. But the peaceful protest quickly descended into chaos when 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman allegedly launched a violent attack on a group of about 30 demonstrators, using a flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to set eight victims on fire. The attack left twelve people injured, among them an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor. Soliman's wife and five children were taken into custody by agents with ICE and Homeland Security just two days later. Soliman arrived in the United States from Egypt in August 2022, but overstayed his initial tourist visa and was ultimately handed a two-year work permit by the Biden administration, which he also overstayed, as reported by Fox News. The family was expected to be processed for expedited removal, which would allow authorities to rapidly deport them without a hearing in an immigration court. Authorities said they found 16 unused Molotov cocktails when they arrested Soliman, adding that he only threw two of the devices because 'he was scared and had never hurt anyone before'. Agents also recovered a journal from Soliman's home in which he detailed his plans for the attack, and said he wanted to 'kill all Zionists', according to an affidavit on his arrest. The document also revealed that Soliman plotted the firebombing for over a year, but waited until after his daughter's graduation to conduct the attack. He is now facing 16 counts of attempted murder and federal hate crime charges. The Colorado attack came just over a week after a man was arrested over the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, DC, on May 22. The victims were identified as German-Israeli dual national Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and his girlfriend Sarah Milgrim, 26. The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, repeatedly shouted 'Free Palestine' after shooting them dead - all while police dragged him away. The couple, who were set to get engaged just a week from their deaths, had attended a Young Diplomats event before they were shot that night. In the moments before the deadly shooting, Rodriguez was reportedly seen pacing back and forth before allegedly opening fire on a group of four people standing outside the museum. Jewish human rights organization the Simon Wiesenthal Center told Daily Mail the Boulder attack came on the first day of a religious holiday. He blamed the attack, as well as the murders of the Israeli embassy staffers, on 'months of anti-Israel propaganda, moral equivocation, and silence in the face of raging antisemitism'. 'The nonstop demonization of Israel and Zionism on our campuses, in our streets, and across digital platforms has created a climate where hate flourishes, and physical attacks—even murder—of Jews is inevitable,' Berk said. Rodriguez had reportedly entered the building and was offered both water and comfort by attendees, who assumed he was a victim of the shooting. According to a witness, after spending about 15 minutes inside the museum in an apparent state of shock, he asked someone to call police and confessed. He was then taken into custody. Rodriguez was charged in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with the murder of foreign officials, causing death through the use of a firearm, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the United States Attorney's Office.
Channel 4
7 hours ago
- Channel 4
Mass casualties ‘change you as a person', says Gaza surgeon
In Israel, the military has said that four of its soldiers were killed today and five injured when a booby-trapped building collapsed in Khan Younis, in the south of the Gaza Strip. Israeli airstrikes, meanwhile, killed at least 16 Palestinians. In Jabalia to the north one strike reportedly left dozens trapped under rubble. It comes as Gazans marked the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adhar amid a precarious humanitarian situation. The controversial Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it had given out over eight thousands food boxes today at two sites – but then halted all operations due to what they called 'excessive crowding'. We spoke to Goher Rabhour, an NHS surgeon who has been working in Gaza's Nasr hospital.
