Iraq’s Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, has announced a $40 million pledge for the reconstruction of Lebanon and Gaza, following Israel’s latest assault that has reportedly left no fewer than 140 people dead in the Palestinian territory.
Sudani made the announcement during the Arab League summit held in Baghdad on Saturday in response to the crisis gripping the region.
The Israeli military on Saturday, said it had launched ‘extensive strikes’ codenamed Operation Gideon’s Chariots as part of a fresh offensive in Gaza.
‘The operation was part of the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip, with the goal of achieving all the war’s objectives, including the release of the abducted and the defeat of Hamas’, the army said in a post in Arabic.
A separate statement in English also indicated that the army was ‘mobilising troops to achieve operational control in areas of the Gaza Strip’.
According to Gaza’s civil defence agency, Israeli strikes on Gaza had killed 100 people on Friday, but by Saturday, the army said its forces had ‘struck over 150 terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip’ in 24 hours.
Speaking at the Arab summit on Saturday, Iraq’s Prime Minister announced an Arab Solidarity Fund for the rebuilding of the bombed Palestinian cities.
He said Iraq would contribute $20 million each to the reconstruction of both Gaza and Lebanon, making $40 million in total.
According to multiple reports, the Arab leaders at the summit advocated a cohesive national agenda in Palestine to end the lingering crisis.
In a joint communiqué issued at the end of the summit, the Arab leaders also called for an end to the killing in Gaza, urging support from the international community.
Israel resumed its military offensive in Gaza on 18 March after a two-month truce in its war against Hamas, which was triggered by an attack by the Palestinian group in October 2023.
The latest operation comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces increasing pressure to lift a sweeping aid blockade on Gaza, as NGOs warn of critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicines.
