Iraq to host upcoming Arab summit on May 17

According to a Foreign Ministry statement, Hussein chaired a meeting to review preparations for hosting the summit in Baghdad.

The top diplomat said the date was set after talks he held at the Cairo-based Arab League.

“Iraq is working to create proper conditions to ensure the success of the summit,” he added.

Egypt hosted an emergency Arab summit on Gaza on Tuesday during which leaders reaffirmed in their final statement the urgent need to fully implement a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement, leading to a permanent end to Israeli war and a complete withdrawal from the territory.

The summit also approved a five-year, $53 billion plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing its residents.

Over 48,400 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 111,000 others injured in a brutal Israeli war since October 2023. The onslaught, which left the enclave in ruins, was paused under the ceasefire agreement that took hold on Jan. 19.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.