Palestine requests Arab League emergency meeting over deadly conflict with Israel

CAIRO, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Palestine requested an Arab League (AL) emergency meeting at the level of foreign ministers to discuss the developments amid the ongoing deadly conflict with Israel, said a Palestinian diplomat in Cairo on Sunday.

Mohannad Aklouk, Palestine's permanent representative at the AL, said that his country seeks the urgent meeting to be held as soon as possible.

"The meeting aims to discuss ways of political action at the Arab and international levels to stop the Israeli aggression, hold its perpetrators accountable, and provide international protection for the Palestinian people," he added.

The requested meeting also seeks to achieve peace and security based on international law, international legitimacy resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiative, said the Palestinian diplomat.

The request came a day after a massive deadly conflict took place between the Palestinians and the Israelis in the Gaza Strip that left heavy casualties on both sides.

On Saturday, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which controls Gaza, showered Israel with thousands of rockets in a rare surprise attack that was responded with massive Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.

The Gaza-based Health Ministry said that at least 313 Palestinians were killed and 1,990 wounded by the Israeli strikes in Gaza, while Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported on Sunday the death toll in Israel reached 600.

AL Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit slammed on Saturday Israel's violent policies against the Palestinians as "a time bomb" that undermines regional stability, calling for an immediate cease-fire between the Israelis and the Palestinians.