Dozens of leaders and ministers from Islamic countries are participating today, Saturday, in the fifteenth session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) conference in Banjul, the capital of The Gambia. A decision regarding Gaza is expected to be announced at the closing of the summit on Sunday.
In his opening speech, the OIC Secretary-General, Hussein Ibrahim Taha, stated that "this Islamic summit comes in the context of serious and unprecedented developments regarding the Palestinian cause, particularly the continuation of crimes and brutal military aggression by Israel." He had called the day before for member states of the OIC to "intensify efforts and solidarity in favor of the Palestinian cause," emphasizing that a "decision on Palestine" should particularly be adopted at the conclusion of the summit on Sunday.
In November 2023, the organization met in Riyadh at a joint summit with the Arab League, condemning the Israeli attacks in Gaza but did not announce any economic or political punitive measures against the Israeli state. That summit highlighted regional divisions on how to deal with the war amidst fears of the conflict expanding in the region.
On Saturday, attention is particularly focused on Egypt, where a delegation from the Palestinian movement "Hamas" arrived for negotiations regarding a proposed truce in Gaza. After nearly seven months of destructive war, the proposed truce on the table includes a 40-day ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages taken during the unprecedented attack launched by "Hamas" on southern Israel on October 7.
