Arab League Leaders Convene in Baghdad with Gaza Conflict as Top Priority

Report by Safarti Tarjuman International Desk

The 34th Arab League Summit commenced in Baghdad on Friday, with the Gaza crisis taking center stage as Arab leaders gathered to address the worsening humanitarian situation and ongoing conflict in the besieged territory.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was warmly received by Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein at Baghdad International Airport, underlining the region’s continued solidarity with the Palestinian cause amid renewed hostilities.

This high-level summit follows an emergency session held in Cairo in March, during which Arab states endorsed a Gaza reconstruction initiative that explicitly rejected any forced displacement of its over two million residents.

The summit convenes at a critical time, just days after Israel launched a new ground and air offensive in Gaza, effectively nullifying a fragile ceasefire agreement brokered with Hamas earlier this year. Israeli officials have vowed to escalate operations aimed at dismantling Hamas’s infrastructure and leadership.

The summit’s key objectives include:

• Scaling up urgent humanitarian assistance for Gaza’s civilian population,
• Enhancing diplomatic efforts to secure Palestinian statehood,
• Calling for an immediate ceasefire and de-escalation of violence,
• Coordinating strategies for post-war reconstruction and aid delivery.

Though the summit was partially overshadowed by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s regional visit earlier this week, which failed to deliver a new ceasefire deal, Arab leaders remain committed to a unified resolution. Trump’s controversial meeting with newly installed Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa — and his promise to lift U.S. sanctions on Damascus — drew regional scrutiny.

The summit is expected to conclude with a strong joint declaration demanding an immediate ceasefire, protection of civilians, and a reinvigorated push for lasting peace across the Middle East.