Riyadh, 11 November 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have stridently condemned Israel's war in Gaza and stressed the necessity of an immediate ceasefire.

"We demand the immediate cessation of military operations and the provision of humanitarian corridors into Gaza," the crown prince said at the opening session of emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh.

Mohamed, the kingdom's de facto ruler, said "collective effort and effective action" was needed to improve the dire situation of Gazans, lamenting that the UN Security Council had not put "a halt to the Israeli violations."

The only solution to achieve stability in the region is to end "the (Israeli) occupation, settlement and siege," he said.

Abbas, who leads the Palestinian Authority, said, "As we speak, the Palestinian people are facing an unprecedented war of genocide."

“We hold the Israeli occupation accountable and will bring them before international courts,” Abbas said.

He continued: "We call on the Security Council to assume its responsibilities to stop this brutal aggression against our people immediately, and to secure the entry of medical and food supplies and provide water, electricity and fuel into the Gaza Strip."

Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi is also taking part in the summit.

It is Raisi's first visit to the kingdom since the recent resumption of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad was also at the summit. After around a decade of isolation, al-Assad only took part in an Arab League summit for the first time in March.

A meeting of the 22 member states of the Arab League was originally planned for Saturday and one of the broader Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday.

Following consultations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the OIC, it was decided to hold a special joint Arab-Islamic summit.

Photo: dpa/Office of the Palestinian president