The meeting discussed the ongoing developments in the Gaza Strip as well as regional flare-ups, particularly those in the Red Sea and Yemen.

The Gulf Cooperation Council has held Israel “legally responsible” for crimes against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, as Israel’s assault on the blockaded costal enclave took centre stage at the 160th Ministerial Council meeting in Doha.

The Sunday meeting was headed by Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also chaired the joint ministerial meeting of the GCC-Turkiye and GCC-Yemen on the same day.

“The Ministerial Council holds Israel legally responsible before the international community for its ongoing violations and attacks against innocent civilians, which resulted in the killing of thousands of civilians in the Gaza Strip, most of them women and children, in violation of international law,” the GCC said in a joint communique.

Sheikh Mohammed began his opening speech of the GCC session by addressing the harrowing events unfolding in the Gaza Strip under Israel’s war, widely referred to as a genocide.

The meeting took place a day after Israeli forces carried out a deadly operation in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, as it secured the release of four Israeli captives. At least 274 Palestinians were killed and 698 others wounded.

Sheikh Mohammed described the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza as “a turning point in the history of the Middle East and the world”.

“We are still witnessing the inability of the international community to stop this barbaric war in Gaza,” he noted.

Israel’s war on Gaza entered its ninth month with no ceasefire in sight as Israeli forces continue to carry out daily massacres within the territory. 

Since October 7, Israel has killed more than 37,000 people, mostly women and children, while wounding at least 84,494 others. A further 10,000 remain missing, trapped under the rubble of buildings.

In the same time period, Qatar has been engaged in a diplomatic role alongside Egypt and the United States in the hopes of reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.

The talks have stalled since the expiration of last year’s week-long temporary truce, which resulted in the release of 109 captives from Hamas. The deal also saw the release of 240 Palestinians from Israeli prisons—some of whom have since been re-arrested by Israeli forces.

On May 31, U.S. President Joe Biden presented a new proposal entailing a three-phased deal that would pave the way for a complete ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Whereas Hamas has said that it viewed Biden’s proposal “positively”, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dimmed hopes over a deal by maintaining his decision to “destroy the military and governing capabilities” of Hamas – an objective that many analysts say is not realistic. 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is also scheduled to visit Qatar for the fourth time since the start of the war on Wednesday as Washington scrambles for a deal.

On Sunday, the GCC’s Ministerial Council called for “a positive and serious response” to Washington’s proposal, while stressing the need “to reach a political framework to resume negotiations”.

The bloc also renewed its condemnation of Israel’s ongoing attacks on the southern city of Rafah as well as the Israeli invasion of the Gaza-Egypt crossing on May 6, rendering the entry of humanitarian aid to the blockaded territory as impossible.

Attacks on the United Nations’ agencies in Palestine (UNRWA), especially in the Gaza Strip, have been on the rise since the start of the war, something that the GCC also condemned. 

Israel destroyed at least 186 UNRWA facilities and killed 196 UN staff in Gaza, according to figures last shared by the agency on June 5.

Commenting on the developments in the occupied West Bank, the GCC condemned Israel’s approval on March 6 of building some 3,500 new settlement units as well as the ongoing raids of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

GCC- Yemen meeting

Meanwhile, a joint meeting between the GCC and Yemen delved into the latest developments in the war-torn country amid tensions in the Red Sea.

Chaired by Yemen’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaya Zindani, the Ministerial Council voiced “its deep concern over the developments” in the region while calling on the Houthis to “respect the right of maritime navigation”.

Since November, the Houthis have launched drone and missile attacks on ships in the shipping channels of the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab strait and the Gulf of Aden in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians and against Israel’s assault on Gaza.

Conflict broke out in 2015 between a Saudi and UAE-led military coalition and the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, which resulted in turning the country into the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Yemen witnessed its first period of peace in April 2022, following a UN-brokered ceasefire that expired in October of the same year when all sides failed to agree on an extension.

Despite the ceasefire’s expiration, the country has enjoyed a period of relative peace, especially as Saudi and Omani delegations engage in talks with the Houthis following the restoration of diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Tehran.

The flare-up in the Red Sea, triggered by Israel’s war on Gaza, disrupted peace efforts. Last week, the U.S and UK killed at least 16 people in an airstrike on the Hodeidah province.

Such escalations have been occurring in the Red Sea and Yemen with the Houthi rebels, in addition to cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel in southern Lebanon. 

GCC-Turkiye meeting

The Ministerial Council wrapped up their joint meeting with the Sixth Strategic Dialogue between the GCC and Turkiye, which saw the attendance of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Sheikh Mohammed applauded Turkiye’s stance on the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza as well as the “strategic ties” between Ankara and the Gulf region.

During his speech, Fidan underlined the global failure in halting Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza and to prevent the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The top Turkish official has also called for exerting pressure on Israel and its Western allies to end the war in Gaza.

“I urge all of us to use our leverage to put pressure on Israel and its allies. Let us close our ranks to defend international law, civil rights and universal values that some of our Western friends have forgotten,” Fidan said.

Ankara has taken a harder stance towards Israel since the beginning of the war in Gaza, suspending all trade until a ceasefire is declared.

On May 1, Turkiye expressed plans to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. 

Fidan said his country would be willing to contribute to Gaza’s reconstruction while noting that those behind its destruction should compensate for the damage.

“The resistance against the occupation in Palestine is no longer a conflict between Israel and Palestine, but has become a struggle between the oppressors and oppressed all over the world,” Fidan stressed.

Echoing the Turkish official during the meeting, the GCC’s Secretary-General, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, called out the lack of global action to hold Israel accountable.

“All these actions are taking place in full view and hearing of the countries and international organisations of the world, without any deterrent to the Israeli crimes or accountability for their blatant violations of international law and international humanitarian law,” the GCC’s chief said

“Therefore, the entire international community must shoulder its responsibilities in the face of the current situation to stop this war,” he said.