
Displacement of Palestinians from Gaza Strip rejected
CAIRO: The Sultanate of Oman participated in the extraordinary Arab summit, held in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Tuesday, in the presence of a number of leaders of Arab countries and heads of delegations to discuss the developments of the Palestinian cause and the Israeli escalation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The Sultanate of Oman's delegation to the summit was headed by Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidy, Foreign Minister, who delivered a speech in which he conveyed the greetings of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to the participants, expressing his deep thanks and appreciation to the Arab Republic of Egypt, the State of Palestine and the Kingdom of Bahrain for their efforts in organising this crucial Arab summit held at a time when the challenges threatening the Palestinian cause and the aspirations of the Palestinian people to achieve justice and establish their independent state on the Palestinian land, are worsening.
In his speech, the foreign minister stressed the Sultanate of Oman's categorical rejection of statements and trends calling for the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip under the pretext of reconstruction, considering it as a crime against humanity under international law and international humanitarian law.
He also pointed out that the brutal Israeli war has unveiled a dark scene in the history of humanity, as a result of the fall of tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded in addition to thousands of missing persons and the massive destruction it caused to the infrastructure and facilities in the Gaza Strip.
The foreign minister added that Israel continues to violate the ceasefire agreements on a daily basis, hampers arrival of humanitarian aid and insists on killing and displacing civilians in Gaza and the West Bank while continuing to confiscate lands and detain more Palestinians than it releases. He pointed out that a year has passed since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) urged taking every possible step to prevent these crimes without any real commitment from the occupation.
The foreign minister stressed that the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem are Palestinian territories and that the Palestinian people have the legitimate right to self-determination.
He called on the international community to take urgent action to end the historical injustice inflicted on the Palestinian people so that they can attain their inherent right to freedom and independence. He also stressed the importance of establishing a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and ensuring the safe and full entry of relief and humanitarian materials into the Gaza Strip without any conditions or restrictions.
Sayyid Badr stressed the need to hold an international peace conference to ensure the enforcement of international legitimate resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative based on the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the borders of June 4, 1967, and with full membership in the United Nations.
The foreign minister valued the fraternal meeting that took place between a number of Arab leaders in Riyadh on February 21, 2025, hosted by Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which reflected a unified position in support of justice and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
At the end of his speech, Sayyid Badr praised the efforts undertaken by all parties expressing hope that this summit will result in practical steps that would meet the aspirations of the Arab peoples. He also welcomed the Egyptian reconstruction plan in the Gaza Strip.
The Sultanate of Oman's delegation to the summit comprised Shaikh Khalifa bin Ali al Harthi, Under-Secretary of the Foreign Ministry for Political Affairs, Ambassador Abdullah bin Nasser al Rahbi, Sultanate of Oman's Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to the Arab League, and Ambassador Shaikh Faisal bin Omar al Murhoun, Head of the Arab Department, along with several other officials from the Foreign Ministry. — ONA
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Observer
20 hours ago
- Observer
Israel fire kills 36, some near aid centre in Gaza
GAZA: Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 36 Palestinians on Saturday, six of them in a shooting near a US-backed aid distribution centre. The shooting deaths were the latest reported near the aid centre run by the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) in the southern district of Rafah and came after it resumed distributions following a brief suspension in the wake of similar deaths earlier this week. An aid boat with 12 activists on board, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, was meanwhile nearing Gaza in a bid to highlight the plight of Palestinians in the face of an Israeli blockade that has only been partially eased. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said that at around 7:00 am, "six people were killed and several others wounded by the forces of the Israeli occupation near the Al Alam roundabout". Gazans have gathered at the roundabout almost daily since late May to collect humanitarian aid from the GHF aid centre about one kilometre (a little over half a mile) away. The Israeli military said that troops had fired "warning shots" at individuals that it said were "advancing in a way that endangered the troops". Samir Abu Hadid, who was there early Saturday, said that thousands of people had gathered near the roundabout. "As soon as some people tried to advance towards the aid centre, the Israeli occupation forces opened fire from armoured vehicles stationed near the centre, firing into the air and then at civilians," Abu Hadid said. The GHF, officially a private effort with opaque funding, began operations in late May as Israel partially eased a more than two-month aid blockade on the territory. UN agencies and major aid groups have declined to work with it, citing concerns it serves Israeli military goals. Israel has come under increasing international criticism over the dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where the United Nations warned in May that the entire population was at risk of famine. The aid boat Madleen, organised by an international activist coalition, was sailing towards Gaza on Saturday, aiming to breach Israel's naval blockade and deliver aid to the territory, organisers said. "We are now sailing off the Egyptian coast," German human rights activist Yasemin Acar said. "We are all good," she added. In a statement from London, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza — a member organisation of the flotilla coalition — said the ship had entered Egyptian waters. The group said it remains in contact with international legal and human rights bodies to ensure the safety of those on board, warning that any interception would constitute "a blatant violation of international humanitarian law". The Palestinian territory was under Israeli naval blockade even before the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas that sparked the Gaza war and the Israeli military has made clear it intends to enforce the blockade. "For this case as well, we are prepared," army spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said on Tuesday, when asked about the Freedom Flotilla vessel. "We have gained experience in recent years and we will act accordingly." The Israeli military has stepped up its operations in Gaza in recent weeks in what it says is a renewed push to defeat Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war. During the attack, militants abducted 251 hostages, 55 of whom remain in Gaza, including 31 the Israeli military says are dead. In a special operation in the Rafah area on Friday, Israeli forces retrieved the body of Thai hostage Nattapong Pinta, Defence Minister Israel Katz said. "Nattapong came to Israel from Thailand to work in agriculture, out of a desire to build a better future for himself and his family," Katz said. The military said Nattapong's family and Thai officials had been notified of the operation to recover his body. Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura said the country was "deeply saddened" by his death. — AFP


Observer
20 hours ago
- Observer
Activist aid ship nears Gaza after reaching Egypt
CAIRO: An aid ship with 12 activists on board, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, has reached the Egyptian coast and is nearing the besieged Palestinian territory, organisers said on Saturday. The Madleen, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, left Sicily last week with a cargo of relief supplies "to break Israel's blockade on Gaza". "We are now sailing off the Egyptian coast," German human rights activist Yasemin Acar said. "We are all good," she added. In a statement from London on Saturday, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza — a member organisation of the flotilla coalition — said the ship had entered Egyptian waters. The group said it remains in contact with international legal and human rights bodies to ensure the safety of those on board, warning that any interception would constitute "a blatant violation of international humanitarian law". European parliament member Rima Hassan, who is on board the vessel, urged governments to "guarantee safe passage for the Freedom Flotilla." The Palestinian territory was under Israeli naval blockade even before the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas that sparked the Gaza war and Israel has enforced its blockade with military action in the past. A 2010 commando raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which was part of a similar aid flotilla trying to breach the blockade, left 10 civilians dead. In May, another Freedom Flotilla ship, the Conscience, reported coming under drone attack while en route for Gaza, prompting Cyprus and Malta to send rescue vessels in response to its distress call. There were no reports of any casualties. Earlier in its voyage, the Madleen changed course near the Greek island of Crete after receiving a distress signal from a sinking migrant boat. Activists rescued four Sudanese migrants who had jumped into the sea to avoid being returned to Libya. The four were later transferred to an EU Frontex vessel. Launched in 2010, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition is a coalition of groups opposed to the blockade on humanitarian aid for Gaza that Israel imposed on March 2 and has only partially eased since. Israel has faced mounting international condemnation over the resulting humanitarian crisis in the territory, where the United Nations has warned the entire population of more than two million is at risk of famine. — AFP


Observer
a day ago
- Observer
Wave of strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs
BEIRUT: Israeli air strikes pummelled the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital, sending thousands of people fleeing on the eve of a Muslim feast day and prompting accusations by top Lebanese officials that Israel was violating a ceasefire deal. At least 10 strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs — a sprawling area known as Dahiyeh — in a wave of bombing that began about 90 minutes after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for four sites in the area. It was the fourth time that Dahiyeh has been bombed since a US-brokered truce in November ended a year-long war between Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese armed movement Hezbollah. The ceasefire says Hezbollah must pull all military equipment and fighters out of southern Lebanon. The strikes sent thick plumes of smoke billowing over the district until midnight, according to Reuters footage. Thousands fled, causing traffic gridlock. Most ended up fleeing on foot to relatives' homes and others stayed out in the streets. Israeli strikes also hit the southern Lebanese village of Ain Qana shortly after evacuation warnings were issued for the area. — Reuters