Arab League urges U.S. to adopt stance leading to Gaza ceasefire

CAIRO, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Arab League (AL) on Monday urged the United States to stop supporting the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians and to adopt a stance coherent with international humanitarian law.

It urged the United States to adopt a stance that leads to a full and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and to pressure Israel to stop its aggression and siege on the strip, read the resolution passed at the bloc's emergency meeting on Palestine held Monday at its headquarters in Cairo.

The AL also warned against what it called "Israeli plans" to push the nearly 2 million internally displaced Palestinians in Gaza towards the border with Egypt.

The pan-Arab body demanded the swift implementation of Security Council Resolution 2720 adopted in December 2023 and urgent steps to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza in a safe and unobstructed way.

Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive in Gaza to retaliate against a surprise attack by Hamas, the ruler of the enclave, on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, when about 1,200 people were killed, according to Israeli tallies.

So far, the Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza has risen to 25,295, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said on Monday.