The leaders of the Arab countries are urging the international community to exert pressure to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza and to allow humanitarian aid to reach the besieged Palestinian area.
"We urge the international community ... to exert pressure to put an end to the bloodshed and ensure that urgent humanitarian aid can reach all parts of Gaza that need it," the statement reads.
Economic Support
At the meeting in Baghdad, the Arab countries called on "countries and international and regional financial institutions to provide immediate economic support" to support the Arab countries' plan to rebuild Gaza.
Spain's leader Pedro Sánchez, invited by the 22 countries of the powerful Arab League, demanded that the parties to the Gaza war be pressured to "to put an end to the massacre" which he believes is ongoing as Israel expands its military offensive.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for "an immediate and lasting ceasefire" in his address to the meeting participants in the Iraqi capital.
We reject the repeated displacements of Gaza's inhabitants, as well as any proposal for forced relocation outside Gaza, he says.
During a press conference, Guterres called for an end to Israel's blockade of supplies to Gaza, and he branded Israel's "siege and starvation" of Gazans as "a mockery of international law".
Disarm Hamas
The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated the Palestinian Authority's demand that the terrorist-listed Hamas should relinquish power in Gaza and that the Islamist extremist movement should also be disarmed.
The host country Iraq pledged $40 million, equivalent to approximately 390 million kronor, for the reconstruction of Gaza and Lebanon after Israel's warfare. Half of the money will go to Gaza and half to Lebanon.
