A high-level ministerial committee formed by the Arab-Islamic extraordinary summit on Gaza has called for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, along with unrestricted humanitarian access to the besieged enclave. The appeal comes as Israeli airstrikes continued for a second consecutive day in northern Gaza, deepening what the committee warned is an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe. The committee—chaired by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and including top diplomats from Jordan, Bahrain, Egypt, and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit—held a virtual meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and senior Palestinian officials. The ministers briefed Abbas on diplomatic efforts to end the war, lift the blockade on Gaza, and prepare for a high-level international peace conference co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and France this June in New York. The conference will seek to revive the two-state solution, based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. In their statement, the ministers voiced strong support for mediation efforts led by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States. They urged Israel to immediately allow the entry of humanitarian and medical aid, grant full access to United Nations agencies—particularly UNRWA—and end its military escalation in both Gaza and the West Bank. The committee also called for an international recovery and reconstruction conference to be convened in Cairo as soon as a ceasefire is achieved. It condemned Israel's obstruction of the committee's planned visit to Ramallah, describing it as a violation of diplomatic norms and a reflection of what they called the Israeli government's "extremist" policies that block aid and derail peace efforts. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes intensified across northern Gaza on Sunday, targeting residential buildings and high-rises in Gaza City and surrounding areas. Gaza's Civil Defense reported that roughly 70 residential structures had been destroyed over a 48-hour period, worsening the crisis in one of the world's most densely populated areas. According to Gaza's Ministry of Health, 37 people were killed and 136 injured in the past 24 hours. The death toll since Israel resumed its military campaign on March 18 has reached 4,149. Since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, more than 54,400 Palestinians have been killed and over 124,000 injured, according to local health authorities. In one of the deadliest recent incidents, an Israeli airstrike targeted a crowd near an aid distribution site in Rafah, killing at least 31 people and seriously injuring dozens more. Gaza health officials reported that all victims had been shot in the head or chest, calling it a deliberate targeting of civilians. In Israel, missile sirens temporarily halted operations at Ben Gurion International Airport on Sunday after a projectile was detected from Yemen. Israeli media reported that the U.S.-supplied THAAD missile defense system likely intercepted the projectile, prompting a brief airspace closure, according to Channel 12. Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, warned that delivering aid in Gaza had become a "deadly trap," and urged Israel to lift its blockade and allow secure, unrestricted humanitarian access. The crisis is compounded by Gaza's worsening water shortage. The Gaza City municipality reported that 75% of water wells have been destroyed since October, reducing available daily water supplies to just 35,000 cubic meters—down from 120,000 before the war. Officials warned of looming health and environmental disasters unless emergency relief is delivered soon. Diplomatic momentum for a truce appears to be growing. A senior Hamas official told Reuters the group had responded positively to a new ceasefire proposal but requested several amendments. A Palestinian source familiar with the talks said Hamas is seeking a phased release of hostages over a proposed 60-day truce, broader aid distribution, and international guarantees that any agreement will lead to a permanent ceasefire. Despite these developments, the bombardment of Gaza continues unabated, with destruction mounting and hopes for a durable political resolution still uncertain.
